I love this spicy soup recipe because it uses fresh, sweet red bell peppers, as opposed to roasted red peppers. It’s full of other fresh vegetables and thyme, too, and it freezes exceptionally well. Rice is used as the thickening agent, rather than cream. If you don’t like a lot of spice, reduce the amount of cayenne and red pepper flakes.
Prep Time::40 mins
Cook Time::35 mins
Additional Time::30 mins
Total Time:: 1 hr 45 mins
Servings::10
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 quarts chicken broth
½ cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic; cook and stir until vegetables soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, rice, thyme, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice and vegetables tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 30 minutes.
Purée cooled soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Or use a blender and purée, in batches, until smooth.