Description
Creamy dairy free tomato and red pepper soup is naturally gluten and dairy free and bursting with summertime flavor. If there’s one soup that fits in this time of year, this tomato soup is it! Made with fresh tomatoes, sweet red peppers, lots of aromatics and blended cashews for that ultra creamy vibe without any dairy. A flavorful & comforting version of a summertime classic.
Ingredients
Scale
for soup
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or equivalent of another fresh tomato – about 10 oz)
- 1 large 28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I use the Muir Glen brand, but many other brands are starting to carry a similar product. If you can’t find fire roasted you can substitute with regular diced tomatoes)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 bulb fennel, finely diced – reserve some of the delicate fennel friends for garnish if desired
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon gluten free all purpose seasoning, or a mix of dried basil and oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth (32 oz)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- Boiling water to soak cashews
- 2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional but adds a really nice depth of flavor)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
to garnish
- fresh basil
- fennel fronds
- olive oil
- black pepper
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over 1 cup cashews – enough to cover them by an inch – they will expand a little as they soak. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews in cold water the night before.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add onions, red pepper, fennel and garlic along with a big pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are soft and starting to caramelize. If veggies start to seem dry and the bottom of the pan is browning, add a little splash of water (just a tablespoon or so) and continue to cook, scraping up any stuck on bits as you do.
- Once veggies are soft and caramelized add fresh cherry tomatoes with dried spices and cook until tomatoes start to break down and stick to the bottom of the pan – about 3-5 minutes. As they soften you can press them against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon to burst them – just be careful not to burn yourself with any hot liquid from the tomatoes!
- Stir in fire roasted canned tomatoes and broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are very soft and the soup has reduced slightly. Reduce heat to low.
- Drain cashews and add to blender along with a little less than half of the soup. Never fill your blender more than halfway with hot liquid to avoid being burned by steam or hot soup.
- Hold a towel over the top of the blender (to catch any hot splatters) and blend cashews with soup on high until smooth and creamy and no pieces of cashews or vegetables remain. Transfer to a bowl or another pot and add the remaining soup to the blender. Pulse just a few times for a chunkier texture, or fully blend for a super smooth soup. Pour pulsed soup back into soup pot along with the soup blended with cashews and stir together.
- Season with 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (if using) and salt and pepper – how much salt will depend on the saltiness of your broth.
- Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, a grind of black pepper, fresh basil, and/or fennel fronds if desired.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American