Roast Red Pepper & Cashew Soup
Hello friends! Can you forgive me for my little blog hiatus last week? I spent last weekend with two of my favourite people in the world- my husband and my little sis. Consequently I was having FAR too much fun to cook, let alone photograph. Am I forgiven?! Ok, good.
As you know, my hubby has been living in a different city for the Summer, so seeing him was obviously wonderful. We haven’t seen one another for two months now, and last time I saw him there was barely a bump to speak of, now I’m looking positively rotund…! We also found out that our baby is a he! Very exciting indeed, I feel like I am getting to know him a little more every day and I can’t believe how fast the time is flying.
I saw my little sissie last month when I was in England, but it was lovely to spend some quality time with her in the US. Plus, my pup Dexter adores her, so he was in heaven last week. My sis is on a ridiculously fun road trip across America, her last hurrah before she begins teacher training in the Autumn, I was pretty flattered to be squeezed into her plans! All three of us really wanted to relax, so we resisted the temptation to push ourselves into any kind of heavily scheduled itinerary, instead we ate a lot of food, slept, spent some time at the beach, and just relaxed. It was fab.
I really have no clever segway to take me from my lazy weekend to this Roast Red Pepper & Cashew soup, so I suppose I should just jump in and tell you how marvelous it is. Friends, this soup is to die for! It is creamy, aromatic, and ridiculously abundant in flavour. Β There is a little sweetness, a little spice, a little tang, and even a little smokiness. Cashew nuts are blended with water to create a cashew cream, delicious red peppers are roasted to perfection, and both are mixed with tangy tomatoes and spices to make something truly magical. The lemon and parsley, though optional, are highly recommended as they give a little freshness to this otherwise creamy soup. We have been having a pretty cool summer here in Michigan, so a warm bowl of soup is still still very welcome. However, I have frozen a little stash in my freezer for those cool Autumn days just around the corner…
Enjoy!
- 4 red bell peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups raw cashew nuts
- 2 cups water
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp dried cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 14.5oz/410g tin of tomatoes
- juice of half a lemon (optional)
- Fresh parsley (optional)
- salt and pepper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C
- Toss the quartered red peppers with 2 tbsp of olive oil and lay on a baking sheet
- Roast for about 20 minutes until tender, and the edges start to blacken slightly, set aside
- Add the cashews and water to a blender, blend until smooth, set aside
- Warm remaining tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat
- Add onions and sautΓ© for a few minutes until softened
- Add celery and cook for five more minutes, stirring occasionally so the vegetables don't catch the bottom of the pan
- Add the garlic and spices, cook for just a minute
- Add the roasted peppers along with all the oil they were roasted in, toss will to give the peppers a good coating of spice
- Add the tomatoes and cashew cream to the pan, stir until fully combined
- Bring to a simmer for about ten minutes until everything is heated through
- Return the soup to the blender, and blend (in batches if necessary) until smooth, or use a hand blender (be careful when blending hot food!!!)
- Return the soup to the pan and warm through if eating immediately
- Adjust the seasoning to taste, and add a splash more liquid if the soup is looks a little thick
- Squeeze in fresh lemon (optional but recommended!) and garnish with fresh parsley
Notes:
Adapted from The Kitchn’s Creamy Vegan Cashew Tomato Soup
I heartily recommend you serve this with some homemade bread!
This soup freezes very well, so double up stock your freezer with an emergency stash!
Every one needs a little time off every once in awhile π Absolutely love the look of this soup!
Haha, indeed! Thanks Taylor!
This soup looks delicious. Definitely one to try.
Thanks Kate!
I’m glad you had such a wonderful weekend, and I heart roasted red peppers. This soup is lovely!
Thanks Erin!
I should really make this! I’ve got a big lot of roasted orange and yellow peppers in the fridge! :O
Dooooo it!
Oh my, what a fabulous looking soup – perfect for the cold and wet weather we’re having in Sydney this week π
Thanks Tara! Love your blog, just discovered it!
Perfect winter warmer (we seem to have descended into winter already π ) Yummers!
Aww, I must have missed that you were expecting! Congratulations!! That is so exciting! That is too bad you guys are away from eachother for the summer, but so nice you could meet up! You need him there to pamper you! I’ve been loving using cashews in all different kinds of recipes lately and this soup looks amazing π
Thanks Isadora!
Congratulations, Emma! I just had a little ‘he’ last October, that must be challenging to be pregnant and away from your husband. You have one big crazy fun and exciting adventure ahead of you! Make sure you freeze some of this beautiful looking soup for when your little man arrives π
Thanks Denise, can’t wait for our “he”!
This looks like a curry dish! Wonderful color, I’m just it has fantastic flavor as well π
Thanks Kelly!
Must have been super super nice to see your hubby again after so long. More baby updates please! (and your soup looks lovely)
do you recommend soaking the cashews overnight first?
Jessica, thanks for stopping by! I have never needed to soak the cashews- you should be fine!
Thanks Emma! I made this soup and found it to be fabulous!
Thanks for the lovely recipe…I made it today and it was delicious!
Thanks Melissa, so happy you liked it!
I definitely love your roast red pepper & cashew soup! I love healthy food. I prefer recipes with cashew! By the way cashew contains manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium, and of thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin K , Iron, potassium! So it is healthy ingredient in this recipe. I found your post from Pinterest! Thx for sharing!
Thanks Jill π
Oh my! This roast red pepper & cashew soup was delicious and so easy to make! Will have to try this for my family. Thanks so much, Emma!