I made a huge batch of this soup over the weekend, and was shocked to see it gobbled up in record time. I took half of the soup to a party, where it was promptly devoured. The other half I left at home for my family. Before I could snap a single shot, that half was gone too. This turn of events may have had to do with all the cream I used. Heavy cream is kind of like cheating when it comes to soup, but I’m not ashamed. God wouldn’t have given us something as tasty as heavy cream if he didn’t want us to eat it, right? Anyway, if you divide the 16 ounces of cream between 3 quarts of soup, then it’s really only like each serving has a mouthful of cream anyway… right? What’s a mouthful of cream going to do to you? Seriously.
You know you want to make this. You know you do. And don’t go switching out the cream with some sissy fat free stuff either. I’ll know.
Creamy Red Pepper & Roasted Carrot Soup
Makes about 3 quarts (12 cups)
Ingredients
- 4 cups Roasted Red Peppers (32 ounces)
- 2 large Vidalia Onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 lb. Carrots, peeled, large dice
- 1 bulb Garlic
- 1/8 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chiffonade
- 1 pint Heavy Cream
- 4 – 8 oz. Vegetable Stock
- Crushed Red Pepper to taste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Start by preheating your oven to 375. Remove the outer wrappers of the garlic bulb, and slice off the top 1/4 inch or so to expose the cloves. Rub the cut side of the bulb generously with olive oil and place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the carrots and onions and toss them with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in there as well to season. Spread the onions and carrots onto the baking sheet along with the garlic and pop the whole sheet into the oven. Allow the veggies to roast until they are tender, about 30 – 45 minutes. Give the sheet a little stir every once in a while to keep anything from becoming too browned.
If you are using canned or jarred Roasted Red Peppers, drain and rinse them before adding them to your soup pot. If you are using your own freshly roasted Peppers, kudos to you. You can add them directly to your soup pot. Once the veggies in the oven are ready, add them, along with any surviving roasted juices to the pot as well. Stir everything around, and add some vegetable stock to the pot. Begin blending with a stick or immersion blender, adding more stock as needed to keep the mixture flowing and blending easily. Be sure to add just enough, but not too much, so that your soup is well blended, but not watery. Once the veggies have blended, heat the mixture over medium to gently bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat, but keep simmering. Add the Heavy Cream and blend once more to fully incorporate it into your mixture. Warm the soup back up to a simmer, then reduce again. Now add your fresh Basil. Give the soup a taste, checking the seasoning. Add a little Crushed Red Pepper, and Salt & Pepper according to your taste, then let that little puppy simmer gently for the next 30 minutes or so. Stir often, making sure not to burn the bottom of your soup.
The flavors should have blended together very well by now, so give it one last taste before you serve. Garnish with a little thin sliced Basil, and maybe a few homemade buttered croutons if you have them.
I know Heavy Cream gets a bad rap, but I just can’t help but love the stuff. How do you feel about it? Is this dietary transgression worth the cost to your calorie count?