My favorite thing about pureed soup is that I don’t have to worry about chopping up the garlic and veggies into little bits because it doesn’t matter in the end. 🙂 What else makes this soup awesome is the roasted flavor from the red pepper and tomato. The ratio I’ve used here has a nice balance. You can definitely taste the red pepper but it’s not overwhelming the tomato. I even snuck in a potato and some cashews to give this soup a creamy rich taste without the unhealthy dairy cream. No one would know this is vegan!
Ingredients
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
1 large red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 lb grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 small-medium yellow potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place red pepper and tomatoes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Add olive oil to a soup pot and heat for a 1-2 minutes. Add onion and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Do not let the garlic brown and burn.
Add in the potatoes and broth. Heat over high and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in the roasted tomatoes, red pepper and basil to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes.
Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender.
If using blender you should always be cautious of blending hot liquids so make sure to let it cool a bit first and crack the lid to release some steam once it’s blending.
