Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Soup: Effortless, Creamy & Flavorful

Prepare to revolutionize your approach to easy, wholesome meals with this incredible sheet pan roasted red pepper soup. This recipe is a testament to culinary simplicity, delivering a deeply flavorful and satisfying dish with minimal effort and, perhaps best of all, very little cleanup. Imagine a vibrant, velvety soup bursting with the sweet, smoky essence of roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and tender garlic. Serve it alongside a crisp green salad, and you have a complete, delightful meal that feels gourmet yet is incredibly straightforward to make.

The magic of this soup lies in its preparation method: all the key ingredients are spread out on sheet pans and roasted together in the oven. This technique not only coaxes out incredible depth of flavor from the vegetables but also consolidates the cooking process into a single step, making it ideal for busy weeknights or relaxed weekends. Once perfectly roasted, these aromatic vegetables are simply transferred to a blender, combined with your choice of broth, and pureed until luxuriously smooth. For an added touch of richness, a splash of dairy or non-dairy milk can be blended in, transforming it into a truly creamy delight. The convenience of sheet pan cooking means less time scrubbing pots and pans, leaving you more time to savor your delicious, homemade creation.

The Art of Roasting for Superior Soup Flavor

This simple soup is a powerhouse of flavor, making it an excellent and delicious way to significantly increase your vegetable intake. The roasting process is key, as it caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, intensifying their sweetness and imparting a wonderful smoky depth that raw ingredients simply cannot achieve. This method creates the foundational layers of flavor for a truly exceptional homemade soup.

For this recipe, you’ll need approximately 5 large red bell peppers, which typically equates to about 3 pounds. When selecting your peppers, look for ones that are firm, brightly colored, and free of blemishes. The roasting process will soften them considerably, so their initial firmness is mainly an indicator of freshness. To prepare them for the oven, start by washing them thoroughly. Then, slice each pepper in quarters from top to bottom, carefully removing the seeds and any white pith. This ensures a clean, sweet flavor profile. Once prepared, arrange the pepper quarters cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Placing them cut side down allows the skins to char and blister more effectively, which is essential for developing that desirable smoky flavor and making them easier to peel later.

Next, to a separate shallow baking dish or another section of your parchment-lined sheet pan, add 1 sliced medium onion and a few large, whole, peeled garlic cloves. Drizzle these with about a tablespoon of high-quality olive oil. Gently toss them to ensure they are evenly coated. The olive oil helps the vegetables roast evenly and contributes to their browning. Roast all these vegetables in a hot oven, typically around 425°F (220°C), until the pepper skins are beautifully blackened and blistered, and the onions and garlic are soft, sweet, and lightly browned. This usually takes around 25-30 minutes, but ovens vary, so keep an eye on them for optimal results.

Crafting Your Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Once your vegetables are perfectly roasted and have cooled slightly, the next step is to transform them into a luscious, smooth soup. The process is remarkably simple: carefully transfer all the roasted vegetables—including any delicious caramelized bits from the sheet pan—into a powerful blender. Add your chosen broth (either chicken or vegetable broth works wonderfully) and begin pureeing until the mixture is completely smooth and velvety. For an extra layer of richness and a truly creamy texture, you have a couple of excellent options: incorporate either full-fat canned coconut milk (for a dairy-free and subtly tropical note) or dairy milk such as half-and-half or heavy cream. Blend for another minute or so until everything is well combined and reaches your desired consistency. Don’t forget to taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

If you’re a fan of creamy vegetable soups, this technique can be applied to many other ingredients. For another delightful and equally easy option, consider trying this creamy asparagus soup. It also offers the versatility of using either coconut milk or heavy cream to achieve that perfect creamy finish, proving that delicious, smooth soups don’t have to be complicated.

Essential Roasting Tips & Flavor Enhancements

Sheet pans are indeed a super handy and indispensable kitchen tool, especially when it comes to simplified cooking and minimal cleanup. They come in various sizes—full, half, quarter, and even eighth—to suit different batch sizes and oven capacities. When purchasing sheet pans, invest in rimmed, heavy-duty ones. These are far less likely to warp under high oven temperatures, ensuring even cooking and longevity. To protect your food and make cleanup even easier, always line your sheet pans with parchment paper. This also addresses any potential concerns about aluminum transfer in your diet if you typically use aluminum foil. If you don’t have a rimmed baking sheet, a large, flat cookie sheet can work in a pinch, but be mindful of liquids potentially spilling. However, avoid using deep casserole dishes for roasting peppers; they require the high heat exposure of a flat or almost flat baking surface for their skins to properly roast and blacken, which is crucial for flavor development and texture.

When it comes to seasoning this roasted red pepper soup, paprika is your friend. While regular paprika offers a lovely sweet pepper note, I personally prefer smoked paprika for its added layer of deep, complex, and subtly smoky flavor that complements the roasted vegetables beautifully. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the amount to suit your taste. For those who enjoy a little heat, a pinch of spicy ground chipotle powder added during the pureeing stage can introduce a delightful warmth and an even more pronounced smoky kick. Alternatively, a sharp paprika variety will also provide a pleasant heat without overpowering the delicate flavors. If you’re aiming for a Southwestern-inspired profile, consider incorporating a blend of cumin, coriander, or ancho chili powder; these spices marry wonderfully with the sweetness of roasted bell peppers and can transform the soup into something entirely new and exciting.

The versatility of bell peppers extends far beyond soup! If you find yourself captivated by the sweet and robust flavor of bell peppers, you might also enjoy these hearty Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, which make for an excellent main course. And for another marvelous and easy creamy vegetable soup, be sure to add this easy cream of asparagus soup to your repertoire. It’s wonderfully adaptable, allowing you to prepare it either dairy-free with coconut milk or with traditional cream, catering to your dietary preferences.

Special Considerations for Low Histamine Diets

For those managing a low histamine diet, enjoying delicious soups like this sheet pan roasted red pepper soup is entirely possible with a few mindful adjustments. The most crucial element for a histamine-friendly soup is the broth. I highly recommend using a homemade low histamine chicken broth. My preferred method for making this is in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, which significantly speeds up the process and helps to minimize histamine formation compared to long-simmered broths. You can find a detailed recipe for it here. Another excellent alternative is homemade vegetable broth, also easily prepared in a pressure cooker. These homemade options are vastly superior to anything you’ll find on a store shelf, offering better control over ingredients and freshness, which is paramount for low histamine protocols.

Regarding creaminess, if coconut milk doesn’t agree with your low histamine plan, you can simply increase the amount of low histamine broth used to achieve a thinner yet still flavorful soup. Alternatively, explore other non-dairy milk alternatives that are safe for your specific histamine tolerance. Always introduce new ingredients cautiously. In the accompanying photos, you’ll see the soup garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, which add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor. However, if you are sensitive to seeds or they trigger histamine reactions, it’s best to skip them. Instead, fresh herbs make a wonderful and safe garnish. Fresh cilantro or Italian parsley are both excellent choices, offering bright, refreshing notes that complement the rich flavor of the roasted red pepper soup beautifully without adding unnecessary histamine.

📖 Recipe: Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Soup