Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (LC)
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
50g leek, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 red pepper, roasted*
170ml boiling water
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
½ vegetable stock cube (low sodium)
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ dried parsley
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 tbsp full-fat cream cheese
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on low heat, add the leek and carrot and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the red pepper, boiling water, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, stock cube, black pepper, herbs and chilli flakes and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 14-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Take off the heat and add the cream cheese, stir to combine and leave to cool slightly.
Blend carefully with a stick blender or transfer into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a splash of boiling water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Serve and enjoy.
Top Tip
If using jarred roasted red peppers, rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. To roast peppers at home, preheat oven to 200°C. Slice pepper in half and remove seeds, place onto a lined baking tray and put into the oven for 40 mins. They should be blackened and blistered once roasted. Remove from the oven and place into a bowl, cover with tin foil and allow to sit for 30 minutes to steam, this will help with removing the skins. Once cooled and soft, remove the skins from the peppers.
A portion of protein should be served on the side of the soup. This can be 125g Greek yoghurt, a smoothie, 1 or 2 boiled eggs, any type of meat/fish/vegetarian alternatives or can be added to the soup or a portion can be served on the side.
