Roasted red pepper soup with crispy croutons

Warm up on colder evenings with this vibrant soup, spiked with fiery chilli powder and harissa. The crispy croutons are optional but add a satisfying crunch

  • Prep:5 mins
    Cook:22 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 144
  • fat 3g
  • saturates 0.5g
  • carbs 21g
  • sugars 0g
  • fibre 6g
  • protein 5g
  • salt 1g

Ingredients

  • 2 red onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots (250g), roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 200g jarred roasted red peppers (drained weight), drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp rose harissa paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or any other chilli powder)
  • 850ml low-salt vegetable stock
  • 4 tbsp natural yogurt, to serve
  • 100g slightly stale wholemeal crusty bread, cut into cubes
  • 1tsp olive oil

Method

  1. Blitz the onions and carrots together in a food processor until finely chopped, or finely chop by hand. If making the croutons, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6.

  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the chopped onion and carrot with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins, stirring frequently until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and peppers, and cook for 1 min more until fragrant.

  3. Add the harissa paste, cumin seeds and chilli powder, and cook for 1 min, stirring. Add the stock and turn up the heat to medium-high, bring to the boil and cook for 15-18 mins until the veg is soft.

  4. Meanwhile, if making the croutons, toss the bread with the oil and season well. Tip onto a baking tray and bake for 8-10 mins until deeply golden and crisp.

  5. Transfer the veg mixture to a high-powered blender (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth. Season and ladle into bowls. Top with the yogurt, and scatter over the croutons, if using.

Suggested recipes from this collection...