After a few rainy days, we are enjoying some beautiful fall weather. Every morning while I’m out walking around our property with our new puppy I pass by my garden. It’s a little overgrown, but it’s still producing. The corn, sunflowers and summer vegetables have browned, but there’s plenty of color left from my San Marzano Tomatoes and my Red Peppers. Sometimes I get distracted and for the last few days I just haven’t made it out there to harvest them. Well, the slight chill in the air today motivated me to grab those peppers and make this yummy Cheesy Pepper Jack & Roasted Red Pepper Soup!
Roasting your own peppers is easy and most of all delicious. Don’t get me wrong, buying roasted red peppers in a jar is convenient and tasty too, but there’s nothing like fresh & homemade. Instead of storing my roasted peppers today, I’m using them in this flavorful soup.
After preheating your oven, put all of your peppers into a large bowl, drizzle them with olive oil and toss them around good to coat with your hands. This ensures that every yummy part of that pepper gets some oil on it for roasting! You can then line a large baking sheet with foil and place your peppers on it. Now it’s time for the oven! Roast for 45 minutes or until blackened a bit and that’s it! Easy, right?!
I don’t know about you, but I seem to eat better in the Fall. Sure there are all sorts of amazing, comforting desserts we like to enjoy this time of year, but I also like to make a lot of soups. Soups are a great way to get more vegetables into your diet.
While this soup isn’t exactly a low calorie meal, soups do tend to fill you up, which can curb your appetite so you might not overindulge too much at dessert time. Comforting soups like this also help you feel satisfied. A warm fire, a cozy blanket and a homemade bowl of soup sounds like the perfect Fall evening to me!
For this simple recipe, Roasted Red Peppers are pureed with sauteed garlic, onion, vegetable broth, half & half and of course that creamy and spicy Pepper Jack Cheese for a homemade soup that’s bursting with flavor!
This soup makes a perfect weekend lunch or a wonderful weeknight dinner with a grilled cheese sandwich. Either way, you are going to want to warm up this season with this meal. My husband and even my child who doesn’t like peppers even loved this soup. Everyone must have been hungry too, because there were absolutely no leftovers! Next time, I’m doubling the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 baking sheet full of roasted red peppers (To Roast- make sure your oven is clean, preheat your oven to 500 degrees, rinse and dry peppers, put them in a large bowl, drizzle them with olive oil and toss them around to coat well. Place them on a large foil lined baking sheet, and roast for 40-45 minutes or until the peppers are blackened and blistered. Remove from the oven, cover well with foil and let sit 30 minutes. Remove the stems, skins and seeds and slice) OR 2 (15 oz.) jars roasted red peppers, drained
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 cup freshly grated Pepper Jack Cheese
Instructions
- In a medium/large saucepan, melt your butter over medium/high heat and saute the onion and garlic.
- Add the roasted red peppers, 2 cups of vegetable broth and the salt.
- Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and with an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
- Slowly while stirring, add the half and half.
- Add the shredded Pepper Jack cheese, stir well and keep warm on the stove. You may want to turn your stove to simmer for a few minutes to warm it back up after the half and half addition.
- Serve hot with crusty bread or a grilled sandwich.
- Serves 4.
- Enjoy!
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