Tomato and red pepper soup in the Thermomix® is our go-to when time is short. 20 minutes from shallot to bowl. The difference compared to other quick soups: we sweat the shallots and garlic in oil for 3 minutes before the tomatoes and peppers go into the mixing bowl. This softens the sharpness and builds a slightly sweet aromatic base that you simply do not get when blending everything raw.
Quick Tomato and Red Pepper Soup, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 2 shallots
- 1 garlic clove
- 10 g olive oil
- 750 g tomatoes
- 2 red peppers
- 300 g vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 100 g Greek yoghurt (10% fat)
- pepper
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Peel the shallots and garlic, place in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and scrape down with the spatula.
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2
Add the oil and steam for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Wash the tomatoes and peppers, quarter them (remove the stalks), add to the mixing bowl and blend for 30 sec / speed 10.
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4
Add the vegetable stock, salt, paprika powder and Italian herbs and cook for 10 min / 100°C / speed 2.
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5
Add the yoghurt and blend for 20 sec / speed 8.
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6
Serve the soup with a sprinkle of pepper.
Tip: For a vegan version, replace the yoghurt with coconut yoghurt.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why sweating before blending makes all the difference
3 minutes at Varoma / speed 1 for shallots and garlic in olive oil is not wasted time. Two things happen during this stage: the sharpness of the raw garlic mellows, and the shallots caramelise slightly. That gives the soup a sweet base that raw onions simply cannot produce. If you throw everything into the mixing bowl at once and blend straight away, you end up with a sharp, flat soup. The 3 minutes are physically necessary because the sulphur compounds in garlic only break down above 60°C.
Fresh tomatoes instead of tinned
750 g of fresh tomatoes form the base. No tomato puree, no tin. Fresh tomatoes contain more water and less concentrated acidity than tinned tomatoes. That makes the soup lighter and less overpowering. At 30 seconds on speed 10 the tomatoes break down completely and the seeds are blended in. If you dislike seeds, you can skin and deseed the tomatoes beforehand. That adds about 10 minutes and is only worth it if you are particularly sensitive to them.
Peppers add sweetness and colour
2 red peppers are not decoration. They give the soup its bright orange colour and a natural sweetness that is missing from pure tomato soups. Yellow or green peppers do not work here. Yellow ones are too mild, green ones are too bitter and turn the colour a dull grey-brown. Red peppers have the highest sugar content and balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Removing the stalks is essential, otherwise the soup turns bitter.
Yoghurt goes in after cooking
100 g of Greek yoghurt (10% fat) goes in right at the end, after the soup has cooked for 10 minutes. Not before. Yoghurt curdles at temperatures above 80°C when stirred directly into boiling liquid. The 20 seconds at speed 8 after cooking emulsify the yoghurt into the slightly cooled soup. This makes it creamy without any lumps forming. If you want less fat, you can use 3.5% yoghurt, but you will lose some creaminess.
300 g of vegetable stock is enough
The soup only needs 300 g of vegetable stock because tomatoes and peppers already contain a lot of water. With 750 g of tomatoes that is roughly 600 g of liquid. Too much stock dilutes the flavour. If the soup is too thick, add 50 to 100 g of water after cooking. The stock provides the salt base, so 1 tsp of additional salt is sufficient. Without stock the soup tastes flat, even with 2 tsp of salt.
Italian herb blend instead of individual spices
1 tbsp of dried Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, basil) is the most practical choice. Individual fresh herbs are nicer, but impractical when the total time is 20 minutes. Dried herbs release their flavour fully during the 10-minute cook. Fresh herbs would simply overcook. If you still want fresh basil, add it after blending in the yoghurt and do not blend again.
Vegan version with coconut yoghurt
Coconut yoghurt replaces the Greek yoghurt 1:1 (100 g). The soup becomes vegan and the texture stays the same. Coconut yoghurt has a mild flavour of its own that works well with pepper. If you prefer no coconut taste, use oat yoghurt or soya yoghurt (with at least 3% fat, otherwise too watery). Plant-based alternatives with less than 3% fat will make the soup thin.
Without yoghurt
Serve with: bread rolls and Ciabatta.
The soup keeps for 3 days in the fridge, but without the yoghurt. Yoghurt in cooked soup separates when reheated and becomes lumpy. Better approach: cook the soup without yoghurt, portion it out, and stir in the yoghurt only when serving. Freezing also works, again without yoghurt. Frozen soup keeps for 6 months. Defrost in the fridge, reheat, then stir in the yoghurt.
