Creamy tomato Soup loaded with roasted tomatoes and peppers paired with crispy bacon and melted cheese toasts.
Tomato soup is an all-time comfort food, especially when the weather turns cold. For extra flavor and a touch of smokiness, this version combines roasted tomatoes and bell peppers with onions, oregano, and smoked paprika. You can use a combination of regular and Roma tomatoes, along with red, orange, or yellow bell peppers.
Roasting Bell Peppers & Tomatoes
To give the soup a nice smoky flavor, I roast the bell peppers and tomatoes until their skins are charred. I usually roast vegetables on my outdoor gas grill, even during winter, since the weather is fairly mild where I live. If grilling isn’t an option, you can also roast them under the oven broiler.
The tomatoes will cook faster, usually in about 10 minutes, so remove them first. Leave the bell peppers under the broiler for another 10–15 minutes, or until they are soft and their skins are nicely charred.
Onions & Oregano
Before adding the roasted vegetables to the soup pot, start by sautéing sliced onions in olive oil. Once the onions have softened, stir in the dried oregano.
Onions and herbs are essential ingredients in my kitchen, especially when making soups, stews, and saucy dishes. They create a flavorful base without requiring much effort. There’s no need to caramelize the onions; simply cook them until soft before adding the roasted tomatoes and bell peppers.
Additional Flavor
Before the soup is finished, add ground smoked paprika for another layer of spice and smokiness. For a creamy consistency, stir in a little heavy cream or half-and-half. You don’t need much; about 2 tablespoons is enough to give the soup a subtle creamy flavor.
After pureeing the soup, I decided to make blistered mini tomatoes with fresh thyme as an optional topping. They add a little extra texture, while the thyme brings an earthy flavor that works especially well during fall and winter. It’s more tomatoes, but I think they’re worth the extra step!
Cheese & Bacon Toasts
A steaming bowl of soup calls for cheesy toast. Tomato soup and cheese toast are meant for each other, and these are incredibly easy to make.
Start with a good, sturdy loaf of crusty bread. I like using buckwheat levain bread, but a quality sourdough works just as well.
There are so many delicious cheese options to choose from. For this recipe, I combine smoked mozzarella with imported English cheddar. Provolone or Comté would also be delicious paired with the cheddar. I’m a little obsessed with English cheddar and love visiting small artisan cheese shops to discover different varieties. However, you can also find some good options at Trader Joe’s.
To make the toasts, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice and place them in a warm skillet. Sprinkle the cheeses over the bread and add the cooked bacon pieces.
I like to cook the bacon separately and blot away the excess fat with a paper towel before adding it to the toast. This keeps the bread from becoming overly greasy, which can be a bit much even for comfort food.
It only takes a few minutes for the cheese to melt, and some of it will spill over the edges of the bread and crisp up against the skillet. Those salty, crispy cheese edges are one of my favorite parts!
No matter how chilly it is outside, a bowl of this smoky tomato soup with cheesy bacon toasts is a wonderful way to warm up.
Tomato Soup With Cheese & Bacon Toasts
Ingredients
For Tomato Soup
- 2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
- 5 roma tomatoes
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp ground smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or half and half
- salt to taste
For Blistered Mini Tomatoes with Thyme (optional)
- 1 cup whole mini tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt to taste
Bacon & Cheese Toasts
- 6 slices sturdy quality bread, sliced about ½ inch thick
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 cup mozzarella, provolone or Comté, grated
- 1 cup english cheddar, grated
- 3 ounces bacon, excess fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Tomato Soup
- Set the oven to broil. Place the whole bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to coat. Broil, turning the vegetables every 5 minutes, until their skins are charred.
- After about 10 minutes, remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside to cool. Continue broiling the bell peppers for another 10–15 minutes, or until softened and charred. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the bell peppers. Cut the peppers into roughly 3-inch pieces. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut them into roughly 2-inch pieces.
- Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat and add the remaining olive oil. Add the sliced onions and sauté until softened. Stir in the dried oregano.
- Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes, stirring to combine with the onions. Pour in the water, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in the smoked paprika, salt, and heavy cream or half-and-half. Cover and simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes.
Blistered Mini Tomatoes with Thyme (Optional)
- While the soup is simmering, heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the mini tomatoes, fresh thyme, and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, turning until the tomatoes are blistered and lightly charred.
- Turn off the heat and set aside. Garnish each bowl of soup with 2–3 blistered tomatoes and a sprig of thyme.
Cheese & Bacon Toasts
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon pieces until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess fat. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice and place the slices mayonnaise-side down in the skillet.
- Sprinkle the smoked mozzarella and English cheddar over each slice, then add the cooked bacon pieces. Cook until the cheese has completely melted and the bottom of the bread is golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately with the tomato soup.
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