Name: Roasted red pepper soup with crispy croutons
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 red onions roughly chopped; 2 carrots (250g), roughly chopped; 1 tsp olive oil; 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped; 200g jarred roasted red peppers (drained weight), drained and roughly chopped; 1 tsp rose harissa paste; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or any other chilli powder); 850ml low-salt vegetable stock; 4 tbsp natural yogurt to serve; 100g slightly stale wholemeal crusty bread cut into cubes; 1tsp olive oil

Roasted red pepper soup with crispy croutons

Warm up on colder evenings with this vibrant soup, spiked with fiery chilli powder and harissa. The crispy croutons are optional but add a satisfying crunch

27 min total 5 min prep 22 min cook 4 144 cal

Instructions

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1 Blitz the onions and carrots together in a food processor until finely chopped, or finely chop by hand. If making the croutons, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6.
2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the chopped onion and carrot with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins, stirring frequently until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and peppers, and cook for 1 min more until fragrant.
3 Add the harissa paste, cumin seeds and chilli powder, and cook for 1 min, stirring. Add the stock and turn up the heat to medium-high, bring to the boil and cook for 15-18 mins until the veg is soft.
4 Meanwhile, if making the croutons, toss the bread with the oil and season well. Tip onto a baking tray and bake for 8-10 mins until deeply golden and crisp.
5 Transfer the veg mixture to a high-powered blender (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth. Season and ladle into bowls. Top with the yogurt, and scatter over the croutons, if using.