If you’re looking for a healthy and comforting soup that is big on flavour, you’ve come to the right place. This roasted red pepper and chickpea soup is made from healthy, whole food ingredients that deliver on taste and nutrition. It’s completely WFPB, oil-free, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. It also happens to be low in fat, so a great option if you’re trying to release some weight.
Inspiration
I’m a huge fan of soup, especially in the colder months of the year. Let’s be real here though, you can find me eating soup in the summer months too. It’s just such a comforting meal. Whenever I’m feeling a little ‘off’ I always turn to something comforting and nourishing, like soup.
So, when it comes to inspiration, it doesn’t take much to inspire me to either taste or develop a new soup recipe. I came across a similar flavour to this one in the prepared food section of a local grocery store. Unfortunately, it contained a ton of sodium and a fair bit of oil, both pretty typical for prepared foods.
It sounded delicious though, so I got to work creating a healthier version to enjoy at home. It took a few versions to land on the one we liked best, but it was well worth the effort. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this soup are pretty basic. You should be able to find these at your local grocery store.
Red bell peppers – you can buy pre-roasted if you wish, just avoid varieties packed in oil.
Chickpeas – dried or canned will work. Just note that the recipe calls for cooked chickpeas.
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Vegetable broth
Garlic
Apple cider vinegar
Parsley
Basil
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Roasting the Peppers
This one takes a little bit of prep time, but it’s totally worth it in the end for this delicious savoury soup.
To start, roast the peppers. Now, you can roast them whole if you like, but I find it easier to slice off each side, remove any excess membrane, and then place each slice face-down on a baking sheet. Pop those into a 425-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until the skin is charring.
You’re going to need some roasted garlic for this soup too. If you love roasted garlic, you can roast a whole head by slicing off the top inch or so, and wrapping it in tin foil. No need to add any oil, they roast up great without it.
If you won’t be using any extra roasted garlic for other things, you can just peel and wrap the 3 cloves in a little tin foil pouch and pop it in the oven with the peppers.
Once the peppers are done, move them all to the middle of your baking sheet and place a bowl upside down over the pile. Leave it like this for 10-15 minutes. After this, you should be able to easily peel the skins from the peppers, and they’ll be ready to go.
Check on the garlic cloves in the pouch, if they haven’t softened and started to brown, you can pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
Making the Soup
While the garlic and peppers are roasting, grab your other veggies (onion, carrot and celery) and dice them up. You can also gather and measure out the rest of the ingredients to make the next part easier.
Grab a nice deep saucepan with a lid or a soup pot and heat on the stovetop over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Then add the diced onion, carrots and celery, and sauté until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are looking brighter in colour. You don’t need oil to do this, just add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth whenever things begin to stick.
Add the rest of the ingredients (including your roasted peppers and garlic) and bring to a boil. Don’t worry about slicing up the roasted peppers or garlic, this soup will be blended at the end.
Then, turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the veggies are nice and tender. Remove the bay leaf and transfer to the blender. Be careful not to overfill the blender as you don’t want to be splashed with hot soup. It’s safest to blend in two batches. Once the soup is blended to your desired consistency, it’s ready to serve with fresh, whole grain bread, a beautiful salad, or whatever you feel like having on the side. Enjoy!
Roasted Red Pepper & Chickpea Soup
A delicious and comforting soup that's perfect on a cold day.
Ingredients
- 2 red peppers
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 ribs celery
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15oz can drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp salt, omit if salt-free
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Wash the peppers and slice each side off, removing any seeds or white membranes that are attached.
- Place them, cut side down, on a baking sheet.
- Peel 3 cloves of garlic and wrap in a tinfoil pouch and add to the baking sheet.
- Move your baking sheet to the oven, roasting for 20-30 minutes, or until the red pepper skins are charring and the garlic is tender. (You can pop the garlic back into the oven for a few extra minutes if needed.)
- While the peppers are roasting, prep and chop the onion, carrots and celery.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and move all of the red pepper pieces into the middle. Then cover with an upside-down bowl for 10-15 minutes. (This will make it easier to remove the skins)
- Peel the charred skins off the red peppers once they are cool enough to handle.
- Heat a deep saucepan or pot on the stovetop over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery. Sautee for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add a tablespoon of water as needed if things start to stick.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. (Don't worry about chopping the peppers or garlic, the soup will be blended)
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the carrots and celery are tender.
- Remove bay leaf, carefully transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Best to do this in 2 batches to avoid being splashed with hot soup.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days.
Notes
If using canned chickpeas, aim for unsalted and drain and rinse well before adding to the soup.
If using dried chickpeas, they will need to be soaked and cooked before adding to the soup.
I hope you enjoy this soup. If you happen to make it and post to Instagram, please tag me, and use #mentalforlentils. I love seeing what you guys are cooking up in your kitchens.
Related Posts
How to Make & Use Chickpea Flour
