Tomato Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups refrigerated cheese tortellini (optional)

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Ready Time: 1 hr


• preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• arrange the pepper pieces on the broiler rack so they don't touch each other, and broil until the skin is mostly charred and the peppers are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. place the peppers into a resealable plastic zipper bag and allow to cool; strip off skin once cooled. coarsely chop the peppers.
• place the chopped peppers, onions, celery, garlic, chicken stock, and bay leaves into a large saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the onions are and celery are tender, about 15 minutes. stir in 2 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, and remove from heat. remove and discard bay leaves.
• pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. puree in batches until smooth. alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
• return the blended soup to the saucepan, and stir in the 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes and the parmesan cheese. bring the soup to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to melt the cheese. season to taste with salt and pepper.
• bring a pot of water to a boil, and stir in the tortellini. boil the tortellini over medium-low heat until tender, about 5 minutes; drain in a colander set in the sink, rinse with water, and stir into the soup.