Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

One classic comfort food combination that I’ll never get tired of is grilled cheese and tomato soup. They are just meant to be! And the great thing about tomato soup that it’s versatile and easy to add extra veggies. In the fall, I like to add butternut squash in my butternut squash tomato soup. But now as we approach spring, I want to make it bright and fresh, which is why I love this roasted red pepper soup! This will not be the first recipe for roasted red pepper soup on the internet, but I’m making this recipe as easy as possible for you by using jarred roasted red peppers. They are blended with some canned diced tomatoes as well as onion, garlic, spices, broth, and some cream to make it nice and smooth. Topping this soup with grilled cheese croutons is the move for a delicious and cozy meal when spring weather hasn’t quite hit us yet.

What You Need for Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup: 

• Butter: to cook your onions and garlic in!
• Onions and garlic: the base to any good soup to build flavor. We’re going to let these cook in butter until fragrant and softened before adding the other ingredients.
• Roasted red peppers: to keep this easy, we are going to drain three jars of roasted red peppers. Of course, you can roast red peppers yourself, but taking this short cut still gives you delicious flavor and saves you time!
• Canned diced tomatoes: the perfect pair to the roasted red peppers to give you a bright, delicious soup that’s perfect to pair with grilled cheese.
• Broth: you can use chicken or vegetable broth. Vegetable broth keeps this recipe vegetarian, but I typically have chicken broth on hand more readily and use that.
• Smoked paprika: Just one teaspoon adds the perfect smoky flavor to this soup.
• Cream: Cream will add creaminess! It really gives the soup a velvety texture.
• Salt and pepper: season as you go to build flavor and adjust to your own taste.

Making this soup is simple. While your onions are garlic are cooking in butter, drain your roasted red peppers and roughly chop them. They will get blended at the end so a rough chop is perfect. Add your broth, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and bring to a simmer. Transfer the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Return to the pot and add the cream. Heat until warmed through. While the soup is simmering, you can make your grilled cheese. I like to use homemade sourdough bread and extra sharp cheddar cheese. Sometimes I use both extra sharp cheddar cheese and another kind like Havarti or gouda. When the grilled cheese is done cooking, I chop it into croutons to add to the top of the soup, but you can certainly use it as a whole sandwich for dipping.

What to Serve with Roasted Red Pepper Soup: 

• Grilled cheese
• A perfect little green salad
• Club sandwich
• Homemade sourdough bread
• Cornbread

What to Do with Leftovers:

• Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• Leftovers can also be frozen for up to six months!