Using pantry staples, you can create this quick and easy Za’atar Roasted Red Pepper Soup in less than an hour. Made with sweet, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and some Middle Eastern za’atar for a lightly spiced kick.
This jazzed up version of a Roasted Red Pepper Soup will be a firm favourite heading into the cold weather months! The soup is finished with a small dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of fresh herbs for a vibrant and creamy lift before serving with warm, crusty bread.
What Is Za’atar?
Za’atar is a Lebanese spice blend, typically composed of various herbs. These herbs can include: oregano, marjoram, thyme, sumac, sesame and cumin or coriander. I love using it when roasting chicken, coating grilled lamb skewers or as a coating for my halloumi fries.
They key element of za’atar that I love is the sumac – it’s got a citrus, lemony tang. I’m an avid fan of anything sharp (e.g. lemon) so it’s the perfect spice blend for me. It’s what helps make this Za’atar Roasted Red Pepper Soup stand out from all the rest!
Suitable For The Whole Family
Suitable from 6 months old +
The only element I would modify is the salt content:
Don’t add any additional salt during cooking i.e. sea salt to garlic bulb
Use low or no-salt stock cubes
For Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) I would:
Soak cubes of bread in the soup to serve. Your baby can then lift up pieces of bread coated in the soup with their own hands. Photo below of my 10 month old eating Lentil Soup coated bread).
Introducing new herbs and spices into your babies diet is encouraged to get them used to new flavours. And za’atar is packed full of various herbs and spices, so it’s a fabulous option (without being too salty or too spicy).
It also includes sesame, which can be an allergen, so keep that in mind if/when serving for the first time.
Ingredients
Peppers: I choose to use red peppers in this recipe as it adds to the vibrant red colour of the soup and it also adds to the sweetness. However, you could also use yellow or orange peppers.
Check out this article to understand the differences between bell peppers (colour etc.) and why I choose red, suggest substitution of yellow or orange and don’t recommend green.
Onion: red onion is less harsh that brown onion, but they are easily interchangeable in this recipe. Use whatever you have available.
Zaatar: see section above on ‘What Is Za’atar’. Another Middle Eastern spice I love and that could be used is Ras El Hanout. It’s a ‘warmer’ spice blend that the sharper Za’atar, as it includes things like cloves, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, but could work equally well.
Sundried Tomatoes: sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have had their moisture removed, which helps to lengthen their shelf-life. This is what makes them a pantry staple; as they can also be added to things like Tuscan Chicken Pasta too. They also have a higher salt content than fresh tomatoes, as salt is used in the preserving process, so consider that before adding salt to the soup without tasting it first.
You will need to retain the oil from the sundried tomatoes, as this is what I use to coat the vegetables for roasting. Using this oil is good for two reasons:
- Zero Waste – as you are using the oil that otherwise a lot of people would throw away and
- The flavour from the tomatoes, which resided in the oil, heightens the flavour of the soup
Garlic: I roast the whole bulb of garlic whilst roasting the vegetables, but you could substitute for garlic paste if preferred. Seee
Stock Cubes: I used vegetable stock cubes to ensure the recipe is suitable for vegans and vegetarians, but you could use chicken stock if preferred.
Salt
Water
You could also choose to add some cream (full dairy or plant based) to add a touch of richness.
‘Pantry Staple’ Substitutions for Za’atar Roasted Red Pepper Soup
If you want to simplify the recipe so you’re using all pantry staples, then you could swap:
fresh red peppers for jarred roasted red peppers
This would remove the need to roast the vegetables in the oven as well. You could chop up the onion, fry it in oil, then add to the blender with everything else.
fresh roasted garlic for garlic paste or garlic puree (approx 1 or 2 teaspoons).
If you do this, it would remove the need to roast anything and can you make it in less than 10 minutes.
Method for Za’atar Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Pre heat over to 190C fan and prepare vegetables by chopping peppers and onions into chunks. Place peppers and onions on a foil lined baking tray.
Add full jar of sundried tomatoes, including the oil, to the baking tray.
Sprinkle za’atar over the vegetables, then chop the top off a garlic bulb, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap in tinfoil before placing in the middle of baking tray with the vegetables.
Roast all the vegetables in the oven for 40mins until nice and charred looking. Then add all roasted vegetables to a blender.
Dissolve vegetable stock cubes in water and add to the blender with roasted garlic cloves and then blend until your reach a smooth consistency.
Soup Storage and Reheating
How long does it keep in the fridge? Approx. 4-5 days as long as your fridge is below 4C
Can you freeze it? The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. The exact duration will be dictated by what temperature your freezer is and also where in the freezer you store it.
What type of container can you freeze soup in? When freezing soup, you can use any freezer safe container – made of plastic, glass or freezer-safe bags (as this is also a good space saver).
And finally…
If you do choose to make it, I hope you enjoy it!
Why not try some of my other soup recipes like my Red Thai Carrot Soup, Traditional Scottish Broth or Creamy Mushroom Soup?
If you have any other questions, or want to tell me what you think of my recipe, then please leave a comment below!
Za’atar Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-dried Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 red peppers
- 1 large red onion
- 2 tbsp za’atar
- 295 g sundried tomatoes (this weight includes approx. 140ml oil from the jarred sun-dried tomatoes I used)
- 1 garlic bulb I used 5 x roasted cloves
- sea salt @blackthornsalt
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 1 litre water
Instructions
- Pre heat over to 190C fan
- Chop 6 red peppers & 1 large red onion into chunks and put them into a foil lined baking tray
- Add 2 tbsp za’atar to the vegetables then 295 g sundried tomatoes (including approx. 140ml oil from jarred sun-dried tomatoes), then toss it all together
- Chop top off 1 garlic bulb, drizzle in oil and sprinkle with sea salt and wrap in tinfoil before placing in the middle of baking tray
- Roast all the vegetables in the oven for 40mins
- Add all roasted vegetables to a blender (I’m using my @ninjakitchenuk blender) with 2 vegetable stock cubes in 1 litre water295 g sundried tomatoes and approx 5 of the roasted garlic cloves
- Blend up until your reach a smooth consistency and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and some fresh herbs (like parsley) as an optional garnish
