Soup
Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Bisque
A silky vegetarian bisque of deeply roasted tomatoes, sweet red peppers, onion and garlic, enriched with dry sherry, cream and butter.
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield
- About 8 cups
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 3 pounds ripe Roma or plum tomatoes (Cored and halved lengthwise)
- 3 large red bell peppers (Stemmed, seeded and cut into broad panels)
- 1 large yellow onion (Peeled and cut into 8 wedges through the root)
- 1 whole head garlic (Loose papery skin removed and top 1/4 inch cut off to expose the cloves)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Divided)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Divided, plus more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bisque
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Optional; use more or less to taste)
- 1/3 cup dry sherry (Not cooking sherry)
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable stock (Plus more for adjusting the consistency)
- 1/4 cup long-grain white rice (Rinsed; used as a neutral thickener)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (Cold and cut into small pieces)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (Begin with 2 teaspoons and add the remainder to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (Loosely packed and torn)
Optional Garnishes
- heavy cream or crème fraîche (For a small swirl)
- fresh basil leaves
- garlic croutons (Omit or use gluten-free croutons when required)
- extra-virgin olive oil (For finishing)
Instructions
Roast the Tomatoes and Peppers
Heat the oven to 450°F. Line two large rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper or foil for easier cleanup.
Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on one pan. Arrange the red pepper panels skin-side up and onion wedges on the second pan. Place the garlic head on a small piece of foil, drizzle it with 1 teaspoon olive oil and wrap it loosely. Add it to either pan.
Drizzle the vegetables with the remaining olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the black pepper. Roast for 35–45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tomatoes have collapsed and browned at the edges, the onions are tender and dark at the tips, and the pepper skins are blistered and blackened in patches.
Transfer the roasted pepper panels to a covered bowl and let them steam for 10 minutes. Peel away the loose blackened skins. A few charred flecks may remain, but excessive black skin can make the bisque bitter.
When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft roasted cloves from their skins. Reserve all vegetable juices from the sheet pans.
Build the Bisque
Place a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the tomato paste, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens to brick-red and smells sweet and roasted. Add a teaspoon of olive oil if the pot is completely dry.
Add the dry sherry and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, until reduced by approximately half and no longer sharply alcoholic.
Add the roasted tomatoes and their juices, peeled red peppers, roasted onion, roasted garlic, vegetable stock, rice, bay leaf, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is completely tender and beginning to break apart.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme stems. Stir in the torn basil leaves and let them wilt for 1 minute.
Blend, Strain and Finish
Working in batches if necessary, transfer the hot soup carefully to a high-powered blender. Remove the center cap from the lid and cover the opening loosely with a folded towel so steam can escape. Begin on low speed and gradually increase to high. Blend for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth.
Pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing firmly with a flexible spatula. Scrape the smooth bisque from the underside of the strainer and discard the seeds, skins and fibrous solids.
Return the bisque to medium-low heat and stir in the heavy cream. Heat gently for 5 minutes without allowing it to boil.
Remove the pot from the heat. Whisk in the cold butter a few pieces at a time, followed by 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar. Taste and add the remaining vinegar if the soup needs more brightness. Adjust with kosher salt and black pepper.
Adjust the consistency with warm vegetable stock if necessary. The finished bisque should coat the back of a spoon but flow smoothly from a ladle rather than sit like tomato sauce.
Serve in warm bowls with a small cream swirl, basil, croutons or a few drops of olive oil as desired.
Notes
This bisque gains sweetness and depth by roasting the tomatoes, red peppers, onion and garlic at high heat before simmering. Properly roasted vegetables should have dark edges and concentrated juices without being uniformly black.
A small amount of white rice supplies body without flour or a heavy quantity of cream. Once fully cooked and blended, its starch gives the soup a silky restaurant-style texture without making it taste like rice.
The dry sherry reinforces the roasted tomato flavor, while sherry vinegar restores brightness after the vegetables, rice and cream have softened the natural acidity. Add the vinegar gradually at the end.
Although traditional seafood bisques have a narrower historical definition, modern American menus commonly use “bisque” for very smooth, cream-enriched puréed vegetable soups.
Straining is optional for a rustic home soup but strongly recommended for The Cozy Ladle version. Tomato seeds and pepper skins prevent the texture from becoming truly silky.
Substitutions
When fresh tomatoes are poor, use two 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes. Drain them, reserve the juice, halve the tomatoes and roast them on a lined sheet pan until concentrated. Add the reserved juice during simmering.
Jarred roasted red peppers may replace fresh peppers in an emergency. Drain and rinse 24 ounces, then add them directly to the soup; the flavor will be less deeply roasted.
Dry white wine may replace dry sherry. White wine vinegar may replace sherry vinegar, but begin with half the amount.
Arborio rice may replace long-grain rice in equal measure.
For a dairy-free version, replace the cream with unsweetened cashew cream and finish with olive oil instead of butter.
Verify the vegetable stock, sherry and garnishes when preparing the recipe for a strict gluten-free diet.
Variations
Smoky Tomato-Pepper Bisque:
Increase the smoked paprika to 1 teaspoon and add one minced chipotle in adobo with the tomato paste.
Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque:
Increase the basil to 1 packed cup, adding half before blending and half immediately before serving.
Tomato-Pepper Soup with Goat Cheese:
Omit the cream and blend 4 ounces soft goat cheese into the hot strained soup.
Spicy Red Pepper Bisque:
Add one red Fresno chile to the roasting pan or increase the crushed red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.
Storage
Cool the bisque promptly and refrigerate it in shallow airtight containers within two hours. Store for up to four days.
For freezing, prepare the soup through blending and straining but omit the cream, butter and vinegar. Freeze the base for up to three months. Thaw overnight, reheat and finish with the dairy and vinegar immediately before serving.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Do not boil after the cream and butter have been incorporated.
If the bisque has thickened during refrigeration, whisk in vegetable stock or cream a few tablespoons at a time. Taste again for salt and sherry vinegar before serving.
Troubleshooting
The bisque tastes flat:
Add kosher salt first, then sherry vinegar a few drops at a time. Roasted tomato soups often need both seasoning and acidity.
The bisque is too acidic:
Simmer it for several additional minutes, then add a small amount of cream or butter. Do not automatically add sugar.
The bisque is too sweet:
Increase the sherry vinegar gradually and add black pepper or a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
The texture is grainy:
Blend longer while hot and pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer. Confirm that the rice is completely tender before blending.
The soup is too thick:
Whisk in warm vegetable stock 1/4 cup at a time.
The soup is too thin:
Simmer it gently before adding the cream, or cook a small additional amount of rice in the soup until completely tender and blend again.
The peppers taste bitter:
Too much blackened pepper skin remained. Peel away loose black skin after steaming and avoid burning the flesh.
The cream separated:
The finished soup was boiled. Remove it from the heat and blend in a small amount of warm cream followed by cold butter.
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