Spicy Tuesday – Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Sweet Potato Croutons – Italian Seasoning

Soup is a go-to for us this time of the year! Especially after a big holiday like Thursday’s Turkey Day, we are grateful for a simple pot of warm and delicious soup. This one if full of flavor of the season as well as rich roasted red peppers.

Italian Seasoning is a favorite spice blend and one we have in our cabinets, always!  It is most often a blend of dried basil, marjoram, parsley, thyme and oregano – all Mediterranean herbs that bring lots of taste and nutrition to the table. The Mediterranean diet as a whole is one of the best dietary plans you can follow because of the anti-inflammatory health benefits. Each herb within an Italian seasoning blend provides a small amount of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants as well. This rounds out the great health benefits while eating this great meal.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Sweet Potato Croutons

• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes
• 3 TB Olive Oil plus 1 Tsp
• 2 Large Red Onions, chopped
• 2 Carrots, chopped
• 1 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp Turmeric
• 3 TB Tomato Paste
• 4 Garlic Cloves Chopped
• 1 TB Italian Seasoning
• 6 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 8 Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine (like Pinot Noir)
• 1 TB Honey
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
• Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Step One

Scrub the sweet potatoes. Leave one whole. Peel and chop the other into small croutons. Set aside the chopped sweet potato. Puncture the whole sweet potato with a fork. Place into a 400F oven and cook until soft about 30 minutes.

Step Two

In a large stockpot, sauté the onions, carrots, pepper and turmeric together int the olive oil until very soft. Add the tomato paste, garlic and seasoning and cook and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add in the veg broth, roasted red peppers, wine and honey. Sprinkle with sea salt. Simmer for twenty minutes.

Step Three

While the soup is simmering, sauté the sweet potato in a skillet on the stove top in the 1 Tsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sauté the croutons until soft and slightly browned around the edges.

Step Four

Remove the cooked sweet potato from the oven and scoop out the flesh into your stockpot of soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly and then carefully puree the hot soup, using an immersion blender.

Step Five

Serve the soup in cups or bowls, garnish with a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt and the sweet potato croutons.