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This Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Soup is perfect for a weeknight supper. It’s easy, delicious and is ready in around 30 minutes.
Let’s face it, weeknight cooking is tough, even for someone who loves to cook as much as I do. Between work, study, fitness, chores, walking dogs, and babysitting my newborn niece (I’m an uncle!!!!), it’s not always possible to carve out more than an hour to cook, eat and clean the dishes.
So, when it came time for a Tuesday night supper, I reached for what I had in the fridge, freezer and pantry. I had a few sausages, a couple of red bell peppers, and some frozen stock that I made a few weeks ago. First instinct was to make a sausage and pepper skillet, possibly similar to this one here but I didn’t have any greens.
Then again, there’s always soup. Yeah, soup! Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Soup!
It was a cold and rainy day in the beginning of March, which made all the more sense. The trick would be to roast the peppers without having to schlep outside and light the grill. Enter: oven broiler (man alive, I miss my gas range)! Broiling the peppers would add a tremendous amount of flavour and also help peel off the skin, which isn’t all that pleasant in a silky smooth soup. It also makes for a great photo-op (see image of charred, blistered, Georgia O’keeffe-like peppers).
While the peppers charred under a hot broiler, I got to work by removing the sausages from their casings, and browning them in my cast-iron Dutch oven. Once nice and crumbly, I removed the sausage and sautéed a diced onion and some garlic, followed by a bit of tomato purée (AKA passata) for added flavour and colour. I let the tomato sauce reduce and concentrate in flavour before adding the stock (I used chicken but vegetable works too) and bringing everything to a low simmer so that the flavours can meld.
Meanwhile, I peeled the charred peppers, deseeded them and added them to the soup. Using my immersion blender, which is possibly my favourite kitchen gadget, I gave the whole thing a whirl until smooth, added back the sausage and tasted for seasoning.
The sausage was salty enough but lacked spice. Sure, I could go in with a few chili flakes but where’s the fun in that? Harissa would be a welcome addition, I thought! Two tablespoons later, I realized it was a good idea! Granted, my mouth was on fire. A bit of fresh oregano helped wake everything up and garnishing it with avocado, tomato and cucumber would help me use some more stuff that might otherwise go rotten.
Altogether, a successful weeknight supper! The Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Soup came together in about 30 minutes with minimal clean up! Catalina and I went on to watch 15 minutes of Suits before I fell asleep and drooled all over my pillow.
Notes:
- This Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Soup would work equally well as a fully vegan soup. Skip the sausage and go straight to sautéing the onions and garlic. As mentioned, opt for vegetable stock instead of chicken and you’re all set!
- Short on time? Grab a jar of fire-roasted red peppers and save yourself the trouble of charring your own. Just be sure to read your labels. Many jarred, roasted peppers are preserved with weird ingredients and sugar.
- Feel free to use your favourite sausages here. Everything from Chorizo, to Hot Italian, to Herb and Garlic will be delicious. If you’re in the GTA and looking for compliant ones, check out Sobey’s, The Healthy Butcher and even Metro.
Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Soup - Whole30, Paleo
Ingredients
- 4 Whole30-compliant sausages, - casings removed and discarded
- 4 red bell peppers, - substitute 1 large jar fire-roasted red peppers
- 1 medium red or yellow onion - diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 cup tomato purée (AKA passata), preferably in a glass jar
- 1 liter chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp loosely packed fresh oregano, - or substitute 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1-2 tbsp Whole30-compliant harissa, - spicy Tunisian red pepper paste - optional and to taste
- kosher salt - to taste
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil, (EVOO)
for garnish
- sliced avocado
- diced tomato
- diced cucumber
Instructions
- Set oven to broil. Place red peppers on a roasting dish and transfer to top rack of oven. Broil peppers until charred and blackened on all sides - turning every so often (approx. 10-12 minutes total). Alternatively, char peppers directly over a gas burner or on a grill. Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap - set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Preheat a large Dutch Oven or stock pot over med-high heat. Add 1tbsp EVOO and sausages. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the sausages. Cook until brown and crispy (approx. 5-6 minutes total). Transfer cooked sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Add onion to the pot and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté onion until slightly soft (approx. 3-4 minutes). Add garlic and cook an additional 60 seconds. Add tomato passata and oregano and cook 3-4 minutes or until slightly reduced and concentrated. Add stock, raise heat to high and bring everything to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, peel and deseed roasted peppers. Roughly chop and add to the soup. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Or, blend soup in a traditional blender.
- Return sausage to the soup and taste for seasoning - adjust salt accordingly. Stir in harissa paste.
- Ladle into individual serving bowls, garnish with sliced avocado, diced cucumbers and tomatoes and enjoy!
About the Author
Hi, i'm Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
I made this last night and it was delicious! I substituted diced tomatoes for tomato puree (because I couldn’t quickly find it at Whole Foods). i loved the flavors.
Thanks Lauren! So glad you liked it!
Hi if I want to replace the sausages with bulk sausage meat how many oz or lbs do you recommend?
Approximately 1 lbs of sausage meat will be equivalent.