Tomato and Chargrilled Pepper Soup with feta and bacon

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup-0946

I think charring vegetables has to be one of my favourite, simple kitchen tips. It’s so easy to do and adds that smoky, barbecue flavour to dishes which I looooove. Seriously, I add sweet smoked paprika to anything and everything that I can (this has been bad when I’ve mistakenly used HOT paprika and made food mouth-burningly spicy).

The two main veg I’ve charred before have been bell peppers, which are an obvious one, for things like salads, frittata and focaccia. Secondly aubergine which slumps into meltingly soft and silky strands – at home we use this in a thai dish: stirred into stir-fried ground pork with lime dressing, fresh coriander and noodles. It’s also the main component in baba ganoush! But I could imagine chargrilled bell peppers or aubergine being excellent additions to other dips (smoky bell pepper hummus!? YUH).

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While you can char grill veg on the bbq as the coals are dying down, you can also just whack them onto a gas hob or into the oven and get them all crisped up on there! It takes about 30 minutes and you can store any leftovers in a jar of oil in the fridge. Super good for planning meals ahead of time.

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Here I decided to blend my chargrilled peppers along with some roasted tomatoes into a smoky sweet and sour soup. It’s a great alternative to tomato soup which, lets face it, while comforting and simple can be SO boring. Except for if you have a grilled cheese sandwich on the side…. Grilled cheese will always win :/

I used my Cuisinart soup maker which basically does all the work for you – it can cook and blend everything up as and when you need. (uhhh and you can also make really good hot chocolate in it which is never a bad thing, IMO).

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While it may seems weird that I roasted the tomatoes with their stems attached and vine in the pan, it’s actually a flavour bonus! If you buy your tomatoes on the vine, give it a rinse then chuck it into that roasting tray and remove before blending the soup. If you’ve just got loose ones don’t worry the soup will be just as stellar…

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…especially becuase you’re gonna take that splendid bowl of vegetable-y goodness and put on some feta, chives and bacon.Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup-1000

Tomato and Chargrilled Pepper Soup with feta and bacon

5 from 2 votes
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Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 500 g (1 lb 1 oz) tomatoes (I used Jubilee)
  • 3 rashers of bacon , , cut into lardons
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • black pepper , , ground
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 1 red onion , , peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
  • 50 g feta , , crumbled
  • chives , , chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Quarter the tomatoes (or halve if using cherry tomatoes) and place into a roasting tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle on some ground black pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Meanwhile fry the bacon in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel, leaving behind as much of the bacon fat as possible (but don't throw the fat away).
  • Place the bell peppers over a ring of a gas hob. Turn onto a high heat and leave to char over the flame, turning occasionally so they are blackened all over. Leave to sit for ten minutes in a sealed ziplock bag. Remove the peppers and pierce each one with a knife to let the steam out. Whilst holding a pepper under cold, running water rub the outer blackened layer off and remove the stem + seeds.
  • Place the reserved bacon fat and the rest of the olive oil into the soup maker (or a large pot on the stove). Add the red onion and saute over a low heat until translucent. Add in the roasted tomatoes, chargrilled peppers, salt, vinegar and sugar. Pour in the vegetable stock and give it all a good stir (using the stir setting on the soup maker or using a wooden spoon). Leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Blend until smooth using the soup maker (or, if making in a pot, use an immersion blender). Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Pour into bowls and serve with the bacon, crumbled feta and chopped chives.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it went! Mention @izyhossack or tag #topwithcinnamon!

Thanks to Cuisinart for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

43 thoughts on “Tomato and Chargrilled Pepper Soup with feta and bacon”

  1. Your recipe sounds wonderful and I am in total agreement with charring/roasting vegetables to crank up the flavor. And yes smoked paprika and chipotle seasoning are a must in our household. We travel — a lot and the spices are with us. I am looking forward to trying your recipe. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Love the way you char-grill your veggies right on the hob, I’ll have to give that a try for sure. Beautiful photos, and arrangement of the toppings on your delicious soup.

  3. DUH-lish. But you know I wouldn’t be able to skip the hot doughy bread on the side. Because chargrilled smoky soup + bacon + feta+ bread = happiness.

  4. oooo I love a good homemade soup and this looks delish. I’ve never actually made tomato soup though weirdly.
    Gosh darn it for having an electric hob…I want to chargrill things!!! Using a candle did cross my mind…but that could be a painstakingly long process…
    Betty x
    The Betty Stamp

  5. This actually seems pretty easy to put together, and the result looks sooooo good! I can imagine exactly how it’d smell just from these beautiful pics.

  6. This soup sounds delicious and I’m so glad you shared the tip about roasting tomatoes with vine on. I never would have thought of that and I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!

  7. Roasted veggies are delicious and so easy to make! Have to try this soup 🙂
    (Oh, I love your outfit! even if the top is wrinky 😉 )

  8. Bacon and roasted peppers!?!? What’s not to love about this? Looks amazing Izy!!! xx

  9. Definitely trying this. With the feta and bacon, it’s going to be to die for. Gorgeous photos too. And I love charred veggies too. Something about that smoky taste with the freshness, can’t get enough of them.

  10. I just char grilled some eggplants on the hob last week and made some super smokey moroccan vegetables and my oh my.. they were delicious. Lovely recipe Izy

  11. Looks wonderful – I love chargrilled or roasted anything so this is right up my street!

  12. Who can resist that combo? And better yet, it looks seriously simple. I think I’ll keep this one in my back pocket for this summer when I’ve got peppers and tomatoes coming out my ears!

  13. Agreed that chargrilling is kind of life changing. So good! This soup looks heavenly. I’m a firm believer that pureed soups need ALL the toppings. And you’ve certainly done a perfect job with that here! 🙂

  14. Whoa! Izy! This is perfect! I feel like it’s justtttttt still cold enough to get away with some soup! Love the stove top improvisation as well. Can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂

  15. OMG this looks absolutely spectacularly delicious! Well done on these flavors and photos…I can almost taste it! Need this in my life!!

  16. How hearty and colorful! The brown, charred bits are always my favorite parts of baked or roasted dishes! Yum!

  17. Wow, feta and bacon with tomatoes? did I just die and get to heaven 😉 Looks incredible. And stunning photos.

  18. What a great idea for soup. Love the grilled pepper and cherry tomatoes idea. Thanks for the post

  19. Its incredibly warm out here but that soup is tempting me so much. Most of ten I would roast both pepper and tomatoes together, before blending into soup, but this charing idea is fantastic. Super smoky flavor for sure!

  20. This looks amazing! I have never chared my veggies before, but you have convinced me I need to try it!

  21. Great soup. This looks like it’s quite a filling dish and I love paprika (either the mild or the spicy). Can’t wait to try this for lunches next week.

  22. Hey! I discovered your blog recently and fell in love! I’ve just pinned so many of your recipes, waiting for the right time to make each and every one of them…

    Question – can I make your coconut bacon and use it instead of the “regular” bacon in this recipe?
    Thanks 🙂

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)