Rich and Creamy Tomato-Red Pepper Soup

Do you ever dive into a magazine and start searching for the delicious recipe-gems that are hiding among the pages? I do! And I have found that my favorite recipe's to gather from magazines are soup recipes.

During the cold months of the year, I love to make all kinds of soup. I could live off of the stuff! There are so many different variations that the experimentation is never-ending. It's my own little science project- at least as close as I come to doing anything scientific- and I love it!

Last year, I found an absolutely delicious soup while I was flipping through an issue of Country Living Magazine. Its called Cheesy Tomato-Red Pepper Soup. Though the original recipe sounded wonderful, I modified a few things and made it my own. I never have liked following a recipe all the way. I prefer  to take pieces of it and then add my own flare.

For my version of this soup, you will need:

1 Tbsp butter

2 red bell peppers, finely minced and seeded

1 onion (or two tablespoons of onion powder)

1 Tbsp minced garlic (or 1 Tbsp garlic powder)

1 Tbsp paprika

1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth 

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup half & half

1 (8 oz.) container of light cream cheese

Now, I much prefer a smooth, creamy soup to a chunky soup, so before I did anything else, I processed my red peppers and tomatoes in the food processor. Don't let it go too long though. It doesn't need to turn to  paste; it just needs to be very finely chopped. If you like a chunky soup, skip this step and just dice the red peppers by hand.

Next, melt the cream cheese in the microwave as much as possible.

Lastly, throw everything into a crock-pot and let it cook on low for 2-4 hours, stirring once or twice during that time. (If you are not home to stir, the soup will be fine, I just like to stir it).

You can, of course, cook this soup on the stove-top instead. If you choose to do so, simply add the ingredients to a pot, stirring constantly on medium-high heat until everything is well blended and simmering (about 3-4 minutes). Then, turn the soup on low and let it sit for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I love this soup. The peppers and tomatoes give it a health boost, while the cream cheese gives it a creamy-goodness.

Taylor loves to add shredded cheese to his, so that's another option for the cheese-lovers out there.

You also have the option of making this a freezer meal. If you mix all of the ingredients together, (leaving out the chicken broth, butter, half & half, and cream cheese) and put it in a gallon-sized zip bag, you can freeze this to have for another day. 

If you use this option, simply put the frozen ingredients in the crock-pot and add the butter, half & half, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Instead of cooking for 2-4 hours, cook for 4-6 hours. Stir after the ingredients aren't frozen anymore.

Happy eating!



*Note: this was originally posted in December, 2014.