Soup For Everyone

a creamy, dreamy soup for lazy nights

Welcome back Sunday Recipe Club! I cooked up a storm during the last few weeks of 2023 and I can’t wait to share all the ideas, recipes, and nonsense I came up with. But first, we’re making soup. I won’t pretend to know anything about real winter. I’ve lived almost all my life within a 30 minute drive to the coast of California but when the nights dip down into the 40s, my place with it’s single pane windows and one wall heater does get pretty chilly. Yes, I am very weak. Since that is about the worst I have to deal with, I usually like to warm up the house by baking or making a big pot of soup. This soup is my current favorite.

The red pepper base, mixed with coconut milk and a handful of aromatics, lends itself to all kinds of add ins. It’s rich, creamy, and a little sweet. If you’ve made the red pepper rice from Hungry As Hell, you kinda know what I’m talking about. It pairs perfectly with some creamy white beans and if you like simple stews, you can keep it just like that. I like to throw in some potatoes, carrots, greens, and extra herbs but you can do whatever your family likes. Just keep the red pepper base and white beans the same. Everything else is up for grabs. Hell, you could puree the whole thing (minus the greens) and serve it alongside a grilled cheese for a perfect cozy winter meal for even the pickiest of eaters. Our house is currently obsessed with Sohla’s No Knead Focaccia recipe from her new book so I’ve been dunking pieces in the that creamy broth for days. Even if you don’t typically like coconut milk, this soup has enough broth in it that the coconut milk just adds a creamy, buttery taste that is so often missing from vegan soups. Just make it. You’ll see.

Creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Stew with White Beans

Makes enough for 4-6 people

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 roasted red bell peppers

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

One bunch of green onions, sliced

One 14 ounce can of full fat coconut milk

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 carrots, chopped

1 russet potato, peeled or not, chopped

One 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferable fire roasted

1 ½ cups cooked white beans or one 14 ounce can, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups roughly chopped spinach or baby kale

Juice from one lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Top with cilantro and remaining green onions

In a blender or a food processor, add ½ the chopped onion, roasted bell peppers, garlic, white parts of the green onions, coconut milk, and soy sauce. Run until that shit looks smooth and set it aside.

In a large pot, warm up the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the remaining chopped onion with pinch of salt and sauté until they start to look golden in some spots, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste, carrots, and russet potato and cook until the tomato paste starts to caramelize and is all mixed up with the veggies, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper puree to the pot and cook for another few minutes so that everything gets all mixed up and warm. Fold in the can of tomatoes, beans, and broth and bring to a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking until the potato and carrots are tender, another few minutes depending on how big your chop was. Once they are tender, fold in the greens, half the remaining chopped green onions, and lime juice and cook for another 2-3 minutes so that the greens are wilted and tender. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or whatever you think it needs.

Serve warm topped with the rest of the green onions and cilantro if you’re into that sort of thing. Some quick pickled shallots are also great.

Creamy Red Pepper And Tomato Stew With White Beans

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Thanks for joining me here this week. Did anyone have any great meals over the holidays? An amazing dish you want to brag about? Drop it in the comments. I’m nosy like that. I made some killer strawberry truffles with my wife to give out as Christmas gifts to some friends and neighbors. They were easy enough, gorgeous, and most importantly, fucking delicious. I’ll keep playing with the recipe and once it’s perfect, I’ll drop it in here come Valentine’s Day. Until next week, keep your knives sharp and your cutting board clean.