Smoky Roasted Corn & Sweet Pepper Soup
About this time of year, I start to get bored with my CSA’s steady supply of sweet peppers. There are only so many things I can think of to stuff them with, & at this point I’ve grown weary of the stuffed peppers, too…
As the season is starting to turn & the evening air has been filled with a bit of chill, I’ve been craving soup. So I decided to use up what I hope is the last round of sweet summer peppers in a nice pot of soup! Corn is a favorite summer staple of mine, & I had a bag of leftover roasted corn that got me thinking…Roasted Corn & Pepper Soup?
I went in search of recipes for inspiration & found this recipe for “Vegan Bell Pepper Soup.” I made a few slight modifications & came up with this version…
Smoky Roasted Corn & Sweet Pepper Soup
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups chopped mixed sweet peppers
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups frozen roasted corn
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 sprigs thyme (plus more for garnish)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot on medium high. Add onion, peppers, & garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in roasted corn & let cook another 3 minutes.
- Add vegetable stock, thyme leaves, & smoked paprika & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove 2-3 cups of the soup & puree in a blender (I used my beloved Vitamix). Add red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to the puree.
- Return to the pot & stire. Serve garnished with fresh thyme.
I’ve been obsessed with smoked paprika since I bought it to use in the “Okra Gumbo” I made last week. When I decided to use roasted corn in my version, I thought the addition of smoked paprika would pair nicely with the smokiness of the roasted corn. Did it ever. This soup was warm & rustic, & made for a wonderful end of summer meal!
