Kicking Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

This is a simple soup that really packs a punch and makes a great partner to grilled cheese. The idea of this soup is to focus on the natural flavors of the tomato and peppers with just a touch of cream for richness. The jalapeno in this recipe takes it up a notch from your normal tomato soup, but if you prefer, you can omit it or only add half the pepper instead.

Note: If you prefer to keep the cream out of this recipe, simply add a little more vegetable broth in it's place.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

6 small or 4 medium sized red and yellow bell peppers (half of each)

6 medium sized tomato's

4 cloves of garlic

1 small jalapeno - optional

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth - plus more as needed

1/3 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

For Garnish: 1 small yellow pepper - finely chopped - if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil and coat with a thin layer of olive oil or cooking spray. Remove any stems from the vegetables then place tomato's, bell peppers and jalapeno on baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Wrap garlic cloves in a small piece of tin foil. Place on baking sheet.  Remove the garlic after 15 minutes. Keep roasting the remaining vegetables until the pepper skins are golden to dark brown and the tomato's skins have burst open (about 25-30 minutes total). Remove vegetables from oven. Cover them with another piece of tinfoil and let steam for about 10 minutes.

Uncover vegetables and remove seeds from peppers. Remove garlic cloves from their skins. Place the juices from the baking pan, the peppers, tomatoes and garlic into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer pushing through with a spoon, as needed, into a medium sized pot. On low-med heat bring to a simmer and partially cover. Stirring occasionally cook until mixture slightly thicken - about 15 minutes. Add broth, cream, salt and pepper, stir and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. If you like your soup a little thinner you can add more vegetable broth - if desired. Remove from heat.Top with chopped yellow pepper and serve with grilled cheese.