(a.k.a. “Blood Moon Soup”)
I’ve been meaning to make a smoked tomato soup for a really long time. Alas, it just hadn’t made it to the top of the priority list. Wow, have I been missing out! This Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup is a hearty dish with layers of flavor packed into it. It’s great for a dinner party or as a make ahead meal for the week. You’ve got to try it!
I’ve really always liked tomato soup. Whether served with grilled cheese (how did that ever become a thing) or on its own. A few years ago, I had a bowl of smoked tomato soup on a cruise and concluded that I wanted to make it at home. Well, several years later, I finally got around to it.
I really wanted this soup to be hearty and complex in flavor. One of my favorite ways to add depth of flavor is by using roasted vegetables. In this case, I went for tomatoes and poblanos. To make life easier, I used canned fire roasted tomatoes rather than roasting my own. The poblanos, however, I did roast myself. Then to kick things up a bit, I add some harissa paste and bay leaves. For a bit thicker of a base, I use a can of tomato paste.
This deep combination of flavors warms you through. I recently served it at a Halloween themed dinner party and called it “Blood Moon Soup” to keep things fun. Whatever you choose to call it, I strongly encourage you to add it to your rotation.
What You Need to Make Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup
Ingredients
- Poblano Peppers – I love the depth of flavor that roasted poblanos bring to the table. Also, I know that measurements in recipes versus what you can find in the store can be a challenge when it comes to produce. To help, I’ll give you my measurements in as many forms as I can in the recipe below–quantity of veggie units, grams, ounces, and cups.
- Carrots
- Red Onion
- Celery
- Avocado Oil – This is just for sautéing the vegetables. You can substitute regular olive oil if you prefer; just no extra virgin.
- Garlic – I buy the pre-minced version in bulk at Sam’s Club.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Harissa – If you want to avoid spice, you can omit this. However, I really like the depth of flavor that it adds to the soup.
- Tomato Paste
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes – You really do want the fire roasted tomatoes for this soup. I’m not fussy about brand, but the fire roasted part changes the flavor.
- Broth or Stock – If you have some time for advanced prep, try my Homemade Chicken+ Broth. If not, I recommend store-bought Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock (if you want to keep it vegetarian).
- Bay Leaves – Just don’t forget to take these out before serving the soup.
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Wire Rack Insert for Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this little mini adjust-a-cup one is perfect for liquids, gels, and pastes.
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot for Soup – I like my 7-quart Dutch for this recipe. However, the 5.5-quart would have worked as well.
- Rubber Scraper – Or another stirring utensil. I like the rubber scrapers for scraping down the sides of my Dutch oven as I go.
- Immersion Blender (a.k.a. Stick Blender) – Using an immersion blender is my favorite and most frequently used method of blending soups. As an alternative, I’ll transfer everything to a food processor or a high speed blender in batches if I absolutely have to, but I’d much rather just keep everything in the pot I used for cooking. Fewer dishes = happier Lori. I
Getting Started with Making Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup
As with many recipes that involve chopping a good amount of vegetables, this Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup is well suited to advanced prep.
Roasting the Poblano Peppers
If you want to prepare this soup in advance or in stages, you can get all of the chopping done at one time and store the vegetables in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the soup.
We’re going to start by roasting our poblano peppers. I use all of a 12 ounce bag of poblanos from the store. Sometimes this is 2 poblanos; sometimes it’s 4 smaller ones. Buy the bag and use all of it. If poblanos are sold individually in your store, grab 4 of them.
We’re cutting each poblano in half lengthwise and then removing the stem, seeds, and membranes. Pro Tip: It’s much easier to do this before you roast the poblanos.
Preheat the oven to 475°F. I suggest lining a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil first. Then we can insert a wire rack and set the poblano halves on the rack, skin side up. Roast them at 475°F for 20 minutes or until the skins are blistered and starting to turn black.
Then you’ll want to remove them to a heat safe bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes before peeling off the skin. Once you’ve got the skin off, you’ll need to dice them and set them aside. This will be about 155 – 160 grams // 5.5 ounces // 1 cup cooked.
Other Vegetable Prep
While the poblanos are roasting, you can work on the rest of your chopping. Chop ½ of a Red Onion (120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw), 3 Carrots (120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw), and 3 stalks of Celery (120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw) and then set them aside.
After you’re done with all of your chopping, you’ll want to get all the rest of your ingredients measured and ready before you start cooking.
Cooking this Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup
We’ll start the cooking process by heating 1 – 2 tablespoons sautéing the red onions, carrots, and celery until softened. This usually takes me about 8-10 minutes. Then we’re adding in 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and cooking them for another 30 – 60 seconds, until fragrant. Next we’ll add 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 2 tablespoons Harissa Paste, and ¾ cup Tomato Paste. After stirring continuously for another 2 minutes, pour in 43.5 ounces Fire Roasted Tomatoes and 6 cups Broth or Stock. Lastly, we’ll add in 2 Bay Leaves.
Lori Note: If you want to tone it down a bit, you can skip the harissa. I love the depth of flavor that it brings, but know that spice isn’t for everyone.
Once everything is in, we’ll bring the soup to a rolling boil. Then we’ll reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and continue simmering it for another 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is relatively smooth with a few chunks remaining. You’re not trying for complete liquefaction here, just a nice cohesive texture.
Alternative Blending Note: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could also use a food processor or high speed blender and just work in batches.
Serving
Serve warm. This soup is also perfect to make in advance and then just reheat before serving. If you want to go the Halloween route, add some Keto Black Bat Crackers for a nice contrast against the “blood red moon” soup.
Related Recipes
This Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup is great on it’s own, but if you’re looking for some ideas of what to serve with it, you may want to try:
- Keto Black Bat Crackers (This is my top recommendation for this soup.)
- Eyeball Hors d’Oeuvres (a.k.a. Prosciutto and Mozzarella Nests)
- Bloody Coffin Brie (a.k.a. Melty Chili Garlic Brie)
- Stuffed Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns
- Sugar Free Witch Finger Cookies
Check out my Casual Halloween Dinner Party for a full menu and shopping list.
Interested in some more soup recipes? You may be interested in:
Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup
Ingredients
- 4 Poblano Peppers Roasted with skins removed. 155 – 160 grams // 5.5 ounces // 1 cup cooked
- 3 Carrots Diced. 120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw
- 0.5 Red Onion Diced. 120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw
- 3 stalks Celery Diced. 120 grams // 4.25 ounces // 1 cup raw
- 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Harissa Sauce Omit if you would like this to have less spice.
- ¾ cup Tomato Paste 1 (6-ounce can)
- 43.5 ounces Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes 3 (14.5-ounce cans)
- 6 cups Broth or Stock Try my Homemade Chicken+ Broth if you have the time or use store-bought Chicken Stock or stick with Vegetable Stock to keep it vegetarian.
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil, place a wire rack on it, and preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Cut 4 Poblano Peppers in half lengthwise, remove the stems and seeds and lay them skin side up on the wire rack. Roast at 475°F for approximately 20 minutes or until the skins start to blister and turn black. Place the roasted poblanos in a heat safe bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow them to cool and then remove the skins. They should peel off pretty easily. Once peeled, dice them and set them aside.4 Poblano Peppers
- Dice 3 Carrots, 0.5 Red Onion, and 3 stalks Celery. Set them aside.3 Carrots, 0.5 Red Onion, 3 stalks Celery
- Get the rest of your ingredients together, measured, and place them near your cooking surface. Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot.1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- Sauté the carrot, red onion, and celery until softened. About 8 minutes. Add the roasted Poblanos, 2 tablespoons Garlic (minced) and stir for another 30 – 60 seconds or until fragrant. Add 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 2 tablespoons Harissa Sauce, and ¾ cup Tomato Paste. Stir continuously for another 2 minutes.4 Poblano Peppers, 3 Carrots, 0.5 Red Onion, 3 stalks Celery, 2 tablespoons Garlic, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 2 tablespoons Harissa Sauce, ¾ cup Tomato Paste
- Pour in 43.5 ounces Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and 6 cups Broth or Stock. Add 2 Bay Leaves.43.5 ounces Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 6 cups Broth or Stock, 2 Bay Leaves
- Bring the soup to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot, and continue simmering it for another 25 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is relatively smooth with a few chunks remaining. You’re not trying for complete liquefaction here, just a nice cohesive texture.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve warm. This soup is also perfect to make in advance and then just reheat before serving.
Equipment
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Rubber Scraper Or Other Stirring Utensil
- High Speed Blender (If you don't have an immersion blender.)
Notes
- Streamlining your Chopping Process
- If you’d like to make the chopping go faster and you have a food processor, try using one of the chopping blades. Your primary goal is making small, consistently sized pieces for even cooking. You’re still going to use the immersion blender at the end, so do whatever version is easiest for you.
- Alternative Blending Options without Immersion Blender
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use either a food processor or a high speed blender. You will most likely need to work in batches based on the volume of soup.
- In a food processor, process until it is mostly smooth and only a little chunkiness remains (or to whatever your preference is).
- In a high speed blender, I would run it on what is for me the “purée” setting. On my machine, this is speed #4 out of 5 and a step below “liquify”.
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