Name: Creamy Red Pepper Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large carrot (chopped small); 1 stalk celery (chopped small); 1 medium onion (chopped small); 4 Romano peppers (washed and dried); 3 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped small); 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock (1 quart); ½ teaspoon salt (to taste); ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or freshly crushed black pepper); olive oil (for drizzling); 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (optional)

Jump to Recipe

Our vegan creamy red pepper soup is smooth with a delicate sweet flavour, inspired by Cibrèo’s famous yellow pepper soup.

Fabio Picchi, chef and founder of Cibrèo, has been serving Tuscan and Florentine specialities since 1979, and many of his dishes such as his yellow pepper soup, are now world famous.

This creamy red pepper soup was inspired by Cibrèo’s popular passata di peperoni gialli (yellow pepper soup).

Overhead view of red pepper soup in white bowl — Red Pepper Soup

The delicious yellow peppers Fabio uses for his recipe are not easily available outside of Italy, so our version uses sweet and flavoursome red Romano peppers.

It is a blended smooth soup with a delicate sweet flavour which improves on resting, so for best results make it a couple of hours to one day ahead of serving.

The soup has a wonderful thick creaminess from the blended potatoes so cream is not required, making this soup suitable for a vegan diet.

A little about Romano peppers

Romano chilli peppers are also known as sweet pointed or Ramiro peppers are popular in Mediterranean cuisines.

Romano peppers are elongated and conical in shape with a sweeter flavour than regular bell peppers/capsicums. They are available in red, orange, yellow and green, with red being the most ripe and therefore the sweetest, and green the least ripe and most bitter of the group.

Romano peppers, like bell peppers, are not spicy as they do not have the piquant heat of other chillies. Their firm texture makes them wonderful for roasting or stuffing.

Romano and bell peppers are in season from July to November, when you will find the best quality and flavour, though you will probably find them in supermarkets all the year round.

Peppers are important as part of a healthy diet as they are a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, E, folate and fibre.

They will keep for up to a week when stored (unwashed) in a cool dry place.

How to roast peppers

Roasting the peppers first intensifies their flavour and it is very easy to do.

Heat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan (400°F), and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Wash, then pat dry the peppers.
Arrange on the baking tray and roast for 20 minutes till tender and the skin has blackened.
Use tongs to transfer the roasted peppers to a dish then cover so the skin loosens as they cool. Peel away the skin and stems, then slice them open to remove the seeds. Set aside the prepared peppers and discard the skin, stem and seeds.

image of raw peppers on baking tray and one showing roasted peppers

Serving

This soup can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled, garnished with red pepper flakes or freshly crushed black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and breadcrumbs.

These flavours go with most dishes, serve with meat, fish, seafood, egg, vegetable or cheese dishes and salads.

Storing

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost fully before serving.

Creamy Red Pepper Soup

This vegan Creamy Red Pepper Soup is smooth with a delicate sweet flavour, inspired by Cibrèo's famous Yellow Pepper Soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword healthy vegetarian soup, Italian Red Pepper Soup, Roasted Romano pepper soup

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Calories 149kcal

Author Nicole Shroff

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot chopped small
1 stalk celery chopped small
1 medium onion chopped small
4 Romano peppers washed and dried
3 medium potatoes peeled and chopped small
1 litre vegetable/chicken stock 1 quart
½ teaspoon salt to taste

Garnish

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or freshly crushed black pepper
olive oil for drizzling
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs optional

Instructions

Roast the peppers

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan (400°F).
Arrange the peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast for 15-20 minutes turning once till softened and the skin turns black, then leave to cool.
4 Romano peppers
Prepare the peppers by peeling off the skin, remove the stem and slice open to remove all the seeds. Set aside the prepared peppers and discard the skin, stem and seeds.

Make the soup

In a medium saucepan make a soffitto by heating oil then add the sliced carrot, celery and onion. Sauté on medium heat stirring occasionally till softened.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 medium onion
Add the peppers and potatoes, then stir in the stock. Taste for seasoning and add salt if required. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3 medium potatoes, 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock
Remove from the heat and purée using a hand held blender. Garnish with red pepper flakes, breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs, olive oil

Notes

For further detailed notes see post above.

Prepare the soup a few hours in advance for best results.
This soup can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled.
Garnish with red pepper flakes, or crushed black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and breadcrumbs.
Serve with meat, fish, egg or cheese dishes and salads.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost fully before serving.

Nutrition