A reader named Nancy Diana submitted this Spicy Red Pepper Tomato Soup recipe for a “fast and fresh” recipe contest that we held in 2014. She called this soup “comfort food” for any season, since it doesn’t rely on fresh tomatoes.
Spicy Red Pepper Tomato Soup with a Lightly Creamy Finish
Since one of the brands that Nancy used in her original recipe is no longer available, we’ve made a few minor updates. We also have a couple quick ingredient notes:
- Tomato Juice: Nancy says swapping in V8 juice gives this soup a slightly “tangier” taste. Keep in mind, some tomato juice varieties are salted, while some are not. That’s why we recommend salting to taste at the end, after you’ve added the tomato or vegetable juice.
- Milk Beverage: Unsweetened coconut milk beverage is a favorite in this recipe. If you only have canned coconut milk on hand, pour the contents of one can into a glass measuring cup, and add enough water to reach 3 cups. Or, you can substitute another milk beverage. Just make sure it suits the flavor well.
Special Diet Notes: Spicy Red Pepper Tomato Soup
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
For gluten-free, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the flour. But for thickening soups, we prefer ground cashews. You can grind about 1/4 cup cashews into a powder and use in place of the flour.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened plain dairy-free milk beverage
- 5 cups tomato juice or V8 juice
- Unsweetened dairy-free yogurt, sour cream alternative, or coconut cream, for garnish (optional)
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Whisk in the flour and saute for about 1 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the milk beverage. Cook, whisking often for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato juice, and continue to cook for 20 minutes or until the color deepens. Skim off any foam that forms on top while cooking.
- Puree the soup in batches in your blender or food processor. If using your blender, remove the top piece from the whole and cover the hole with a tea towel while blending to allow steam to escape.
- Return the soup to your pot and add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl each serving with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt, sour cream, or coconut cream, if desired.