Spiced Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Toasted Israeli Couscous Topping for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

It's Easter Sunday and I should probably be making a spring soup or carrot soup or something that has an Easter-ish vibe. But these are strange times and I like many others am limiting grocery runs and cooking foods from my pantry like this Spiced Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Toasted Israeli Couscous Topping.  

I work for a food distributor and they periodically give us assorted food items that are overstock or near expiration. I grabbed a large can of fire-roasted red peppers the other day and of course I was going to turn it into soup. When I started, I wasn't exactly sure what form the soup would take, but I added cans of fire-roasted tomatoes and coconut milk from my pantry, an onion, carrots and some limp cilantro from my veggie drawer, and assorted spices from my spice rack. The couscous topping was an afterthought as I remembered this Italian Vegetable Fagioli with Toasted Couscous I made a few years ago. Since I happened to have a box of Israeli couscous in my cupboard, I thought it would be a fun way to add texture to a creamy pureed soup.

Spiced Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Toasted Israeli Couscous Topping
By Deb, Khaki Kitchen
(Makes 6 Servings)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried cilanto
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper or other hot pepper
1 large can (28 oz) fire-roasted red peppers, drained & chopped (or about 3 large roasted red peppers)
1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes and their juices
2 cups vegetable broth or stock
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp brown sugar or other sweetener to taste 
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
prepared couscous and chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and all spices and cook another 2 minutes.

Add the peppers, tomatoes and juice, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes until vegetables are very tender. Meanwhile toast couscous and cook according to package instruction and set aside.

Use an immersion blender or carefully puree soup in a blender until smooth. Taste and add sea salt, black pepper, and brown sugar as needed to balance flavor. Stir in coconut milk and heat through. Taste again and adjust seasoning as desired. 

Serve in bowls with a scoop of the prepared couscous and chopped cilantro on top. Enjoy!

Notes/Results: I love a good creamy red pepper and tomato soup and this one is very good. Because I was adding the couscous topping, I leaned my spices to the Moroccan side of things and wasn't disappointed--they are warm and toasty and delicious. The soup is just spicy enough for me with the hot smoked paprika and the Aleppo pepper, but you could of course make it hotter. I would happily make it again. 

Let's see who is in the Souper Sundays kitchen! 

Vicki of I'd Rather Be At The Beach shared Instant Pot Freezer Fix Chili and said, "It tasted VERY different than any chili we’ve ever had before. I love all the spices in the recipe but the flavor was way too strong for us. If I ever try it again I’ll use less of each spice and maybe add a bit of sugar, since I always add it to my personal chili recipe."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared Red Yellow Green Macaroni Pasta Salad and says, "The macaroni pasta is combined with colourful peppers, spring onions, black olives and then smothered in a Dijon Mayonnaise.  It really was one of the easiest lunches to put together and eat.  I served up and took my bowl outside to eat out in the sun, and I am not even a sun person. I am coming to appreciate my outdoor space a lot more than I have done so in the past."

Thank you to Vicki and Shaheen for joining me this week!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week and be well!