Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper soup recipe

For anyone needing some extra nourishment, this immune and mood boosting soup is full of vitamins and antioxidants.

I always feel better after a bowl, especially when I have low energy, feel under the weather or even a bit blue.

It‘s pretty straight-forward to make and any leftovers can double up as an amazing pasta sauce.

Serves 6
* 20 or 1.6kg large ripe tomatoes, halved
* 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
* 400g or 4 large red or white onions peeled and quartered
* I whole garlic bulb, cloves peeled
* 4 roughly cut sweet red pointed, seeds removed
* 10g chopped fresh rosemary
* 10g chopped fresh thyme
* 4 tbsp maple syrup
* 3-4 tbsp tomato puree
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* Salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 180°C fan or 200°C conventional.

Assemble the freshly chopped vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, garlic cloves and onions) into a large baking tray.

Add the olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt & pepper and give everything a good stir until the veg is evenly coated with oil.

Roast for 40-60 minutes. The vegetables need to char a bit.

Once roasted, transfer the vegetables into a large deep saucepan and pour in the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, maple syrup and salt & pepper to taste. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes until everything is soft. I like a bit of heat, so option to add hot sauce here.

Once the veg has reduced and softened, remove from heat and blend to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Option to serve with bread and vegan butter. I like Naturli.

Enjoy

According to the NHS website:
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene…. Lycopene is an antioxidant, a type of naturally occurring chemical believed to help protect against cell damage...Results suggest that a tomato-rich diet may have a beneficial effect on the prevention of depressive symptoms. Perfect for this season when the days are shorter and colder.

Reference: https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/does-a-tomato-a-day-keep-depression-away/