Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Gorgeous and fire-engine-red, Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup has super-charged flavor, thanks to tasty roasted red bell peppers and tomatoes that gently caramelize in the oven. Healthy, beautiful, delicious — everything you want in a soup! {Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free option}

I’m a vegetable gardener and my favorite garden color is … red. Yeah, it’s not green. I mean, I love green, and waiting for spring makes me crave green until I’m ready to jump right out of my skin. But inner gardener is actually head-over-heels in love with rrrred. Tomatoes and bell peppers, they’re the pride of my garden.

Once I’ve had my fill of fresh eating in salads and crudite, I’m ready to the oven. Roasting bell peppers and tomatoes brings out a whole new level of flavor in these veggies — perfect for soup!

This sheet pan soup is another it’s-so-easy-I-can’t-believe-it-counts-as-homemade-soup soup. Do a rough chop on the vegetables — I’m a gardener, but I’m totally okay with people calling a tomato a vegetable. That’s a topic for botanists to obsess over.

I grow tomatoes, and then I eat them. Tomayto, tomahto, fruit, veg, whatevs, just giiiimmeeee 🙂 — layer them on the pan, and roast for a nice long stretch, while you do life.

Then, run everything, along with some broth and herbs, in the blender until smooooooth. Heat through. And … soup!

How to Make Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Step 1: Roast the Veggies

While the oven preheats to 450ºF, arrange the prepped veggies on the baking sheet in a single layer. This will help them roast evenly. Slide them into the oven and let them roast for 30 to 40 minutes. You’re aiming for the pepper skins to have some char on them. Remove and let cool.

Step 2: Peel & Blend

Peel off the skins from the cooled peppers (tomatoes are okay as is). You’ll notice that some areas will be stubborn and clingy. No worries! Focus on removing the charred, bubbly bits, and let the others be.

Gather all the roasted veggies, and don’t forget any juices—they’re flavor gold! Pour them into a blender. Add in the savory veggie broth, the freshly chopped basil, and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Now, let the blender do its thing until your mix is velvety smooth.

Step 3: Make the Paprika Roux (optional but delish)

Heat the oil or butter in a large soup pot over medium heat until melted. Stir in the flour and paprika to create a fragrant paste. Add the cashew milk a little at a time, stirring to combine. Whisk in the broth until the roux is loose and smooth.

Step 4: Finish

Add the blended soup to the roux and whisk until completely combined. Let everything heat through, and then serve.

Cook’s tips

• The Roux: The paprika roux is optional, but I heartily recommend giving it a try. Smoked paprika adds a deep savoriness that you just can’t get from any other spice. It takes just a few extra minutes, and reward is quite lovely.
• Garlic Boost: Consider adding a few cloves of garlic to the roasting pan. Roasted garlic adds a sweet, mellow flavor that pairs beautifully with the peppers and tomatoes.
• Fresh Herb Twist: While basil is a classic pairing, feel free to experiment with other fresh herbs like thyme, tarragon, or rosemary for a slightly different taste.
• Broth Variation: Chicken broth can be used instead of vegetable broth if you’re not sticking to a vegetarian or vegan diet. It will add a savory richness to the soup.
• Texture Options: If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can blend only half the veggies and mix them with the other half, leaving them slightly chunky.
• Roast Until Charred: Ensure your peppers have a good char on them before taking them out of the oven. This char will give the soup its smoky flavor.
• Creamy Delight: For a creamy version, add a splash of coconut milk or cashew milk to the soup after blending. This will provide a rich texture and an added layer of flavor. Also keep in mind that you if you don’t follow a vegan lifestyle, you can absolutely substitute heavy cream or half and half for all of the milks in this recipe.
• Toppings: Serve with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt, some croutons, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs or a drizzle of olive oil.
• Spice It Up: If you enjoy a bit of heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a roasted chile pepper into the blend.
• Storing: This soup freezes beautifully. You can make a larger batch and store portions in the freezer for quick meals later on.

A quick word about seasonality: tasty bell peppers are available all year round, so you should be good there. Tasty tomatoes are more difficult. Grocery store tomatoes are never my favorite, but in general, cherry tomatoes are the far tastier winter option than standard tomatoes.

I did luck out and find a package of vine-ripened, greenhouse-grown Campari tomatoes (a golf ball sized tomato, pictured in the pan photo), which were surprisingly good, even for fresh eating. If you’re really having trouble sourcing tomatoes, buy canned whole tomatoes (reserve the juice for the blender). They’ll work, too!

Vegan, yet creamy, full-flavored and substantial, Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup is a soup that everyone will love, vegetarian and carnivore. I hope you’ll try and enjoy this delicious twist on traditional tomato soup.

More Sheet Pan Meals to Enjoy:

• Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi
• Mediterranean Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner
• Sheet Pan Hash Browns Brunch Bake

Print Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Servings: 4 generous servings

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/4 lb red bell peppers 4-5, seeded, sliced into quarters
• 16 ounces small tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/2 red onion cut into thin wedges
• 2 carrots roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups veggie broth

optional: paprika roux

• 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil or butter, if not vegan
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup cashew milk or almond or soy milk
• 1 cup veggie broth

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
• Place the veggies in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pepper skins take on a nice char. Remove from oven.
• Let vegetables rest on the sheet, until cool enough to handle.
• Peel the skin off of the peppers. Don’t worry about any hard-to-peel areas, just remove the bubbled-up charred skin.
• Scrape the veggies into a blender, making sure to include all the juices. Add the veggie broth to the jar, along with the basil and a big pinch of kosher salt. Puree until smooth. You’ll have about a quart.

Optional paprika roux:

• Heat the oil or butter in a soup pot over medium heat until melted. Stir in the flour and paprika to create a fragrant paste. Add the cashew milk a little at a time, stirring to combine. Whisk in the broth until the roux is loose and smooth.

Finish the soup

• With or without the roux, add the soup from the blender to the pot (whisking thoroughly with the roux, if using) and heat through. Taste for salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.