Roasted Red Pepper, Sweet Potato & Smoked Paprika Soup

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Recipe by Emma Freud, available at BBC Good Food

*Click the link above for the recipe, or find it at the bottom of the page.

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Question: Did I use this recipe to justify the purchase of an immersion blender (which I've wanted for a while), or did I buy an immersion blender because I really wanted to try this recipe? I honestly don't know.

Fun, new kitchen gadgets aside, I needed something simple, low-effort and comforting on this cold and dreary, lonely Thursday. This recipe has been in the queue for a while and the blender arrived yesterday, so it seemed like fate. I got the produce lined up and unpacked the blender, ready to fix-what-ails-me with a nice bowl of soup.

This soup is also pretty calorie friendly, if that's a concern for you. A great showcase of what vegetables can do when you want something "healthy" but also substantial. A dish I'll try to keep in mind when I start thinking comfort can only come from calories. Sometimes it can come from vegetables, too. Weird, I know.

And whether or not your counting calories or tracking nutrition, this soup packs a bunch of flavor into its ooey-gooey warmth. Leveraging the natural sweetness of the red onion this soup hits multiple notes on the palate that you wouldn't necessarily expect in a vegetable-based soup. The sweetness meets the earthiness of sweet potato, and the brightness of the red bell pepper all of which offset with the smoky paprika, creating a well-rounded layered bite - in very little time with a super-minimal amount of effort.

This soup comes together easily, and requires very little of you. Rough chop your veggies and roast them off in the oven, with olive oil and paprika. (I also added salt and pepper at this stage.). This would also be a good point to add any additional depth of flavor if you like with some additional seasoning on the veg. Turmeric, cayenne pepper, or some herbs like rosemary or thyme would be welcome additions, I think.

The recipe is from the UK, so here's the conversion for you, 190C is 375F.

You do not *need* to have an immersion blender for this recipe. But you do need a blender of some kind. If you're going to work in a regular countertop blender, I'd suggest working in batches to make things easier. If you're using an immersion blender, use a medium saucepan rather than a big stockpot you might be used to making soup in. You want some depth in your pan to prevent flinging soup all over your kitchen. (Voice of shameful experience, here). Maybe also use a kitchen towel draped over your pan as you blend to catch any rogue drops of deliciousness trying to escape your pot.

When it comes to liquid, I'd probably go with a little more next time. I used the 200 ml of both stock and coconut milk, but I'd probably double the coconut milk for a runnier soup. (Just my personal preference). I'd also push the sriracha up to a full Tablespoon and double the maple syrup to 2 teaspoons. #flavorbomb

Serving

I garnished my soup with some crispy chorizo (yum!) and served alongside some toasted baguette slices (store bought is fine, #thanksinagarten).

Preparation Notes

• The inherent flavor of the vegetables is going to be really present here. So choose the best, freshest produce you can.

• Swap out vegetable stock for chicken stock for a vegan take on this dish that I'm sure is just delicious!

• Be sure to salt and pepper throughout to set off your flavors.

• Conversion Hack: 190C is 375F.

• Consider using more liquid if you like a runnier soup.

• Don't be afraid of adding more flavors that you think you'd like.

• Garnish options: I did some crispy chorizo, but I could also picture maybe a crema, or a roasted sweet corn salsa, an additional splash of sriracha or maple syrup, pickled hot peppers. Like chili, you can dress this thing up a lot of ways.

RECIPE (from BBC Good Food, by Emma Freud)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, roughly chopped into dice with the skin still on

• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks

• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into chunks

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 200ml coconut milk

• 200ml chicken stock

• ½ tbsp sriracha

• 1 tsp maple syrup

Method

• STEP 1Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the sweet potato, pepper, onion and garlic on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the paprika and seasoning, then drizzle with the oil. Toss together. Roast for 30 mins or until beginning to brown.

• STEP 2Tip the roasted vegetables into a blender (or use a stick blender) with the coconut milk, stock, sriracha and maple syrup. Whizz until smooth. Pour back into the pan and heat until piping hot. Check for seasoning, and pour into a flask. Serve with soda bread or toasted sourdough.