Roasted Carrot and Bell Pepper Soup

With fall just around the corner and the tons and tons of produce in my fridge (refer to my "Spicy Soy Glazed Carrots" for that story), I decided to whip up a hearty and cozy soup. I had never done a blended soup before, except for one time a couple years back where I tried my hand at a zucchini starter soup. But back to the recipe-- you see, I was leaving the next day for a two week vacation and I had about two to three pounds of carrots and another one to two pounds of bell peppers sitting in the fridge. My sister recommended that I make a soup out of them because it is supposedly easier to "drink" the vegetables rather than eat them all up. As odd as it may sound, she was correct, so I embarked on a mission to use everything up.

The recipe that follows is one of my favorites now, you can make a whole lot of it and then pop it in the freezer (it lasts up to about three months). It is kind of like a staple soup that you can heat up on a cold night and would make you feel all warm inside. Paired with some delicious toppings and crusty bread, I present to you my roasted carrot and bell pepper soup!

Ingredients: (this will serve about 7-8 people plus leftovers in the freezer)

- 2 to 3 pounds rainbow carrots (can be substituted with regular carrots)

- 1 to 2 pounds bell peppers (any color-- I used yellow and orange)

- 1 large onion

- 6 cloves garlic sliced

- 3 tbsp. oregano

- 2 tbsp. red chili flakes (can be adjusted to taste)

- 3 tbsp. olive oil

- 2 quarts chicken stock (can be substituted with water to make vegan or vegetarian)

- 3 tbsp. salt (can be adjusted to taste)

- 4 tbsp. black pepper (can be adjusted to taste)

Toppings:

- 1 green onion sliced

- pinch of red chili flakes (can be omitted)

- extra virgin olive oil

- toasted bread (can be omitted if gluten sensitive)

Directions:

First, heat the oven up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the carrots, bell peppers, and onion into large pieces and slice up the garlic. Place them on a baking tray lined with tin foil and toss with two tablespoons of salt, three tablespoons of black pepper, the red chili flakes, oregano, and olive oil until everything is coated evenly. Because there are so many vegetables to cook, batch roasting them is key. You can either use multiple baking trays or you can do multiple batches using the same tray. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and a little charred, flipping/ mixing them around at about 20 minutes.

After the vegetables have come out of the oven, let them cool down for about five minutes. Now, the next step can be completed in multiple ways. Blending the vegetables together with chicken stock can be done in a food processor, blender, immersion blender, or even a NutriBullet (what I used). Whatever method you choose to follow, gradually add chicken stock so that the vegetables blend easier until you get a thick paste. Pour the paste into a dutch oven or any large pot and set on medium low. Add chicken stock to the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency. It shouldn't be too wet but not as dry as the mixture itself. Add the leftover salt and pepper into the soup and let it boil on low so that everything combines evenly.

When the soup is cooking on the stove, toast your bread in the oven. I used sourdough and would recommend using a harder and crisper type, but any bread to your liking would work. After it turns golden, take it out and serve up your soup, sticking the bread on the side. Slice up the green onion and sprinkle on top of your bowl, along with a pinch of red chili flakes. Drizzle on some olive oil and enjoy!

** As always the chicken stock used can be substituted with water to make the recipe vegan and vegetarian friendly.