Smoky Tomato and Pepper Soup with Toasted Bread
A warm, smoky soup of sweet peppers and tomatoes, thickened with bread and finished with a soft-poached egg. Comforting and high in protein.
- Total
- 42 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 32
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Sweating · Blooming spices
- Savory
- Stovetop
- One pan
Instructions
-
Dice the onion into 1 cm pieces. Core and deseed the peppers, then cut into 2 cm chunks. Measure the paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
~10 min
-
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
~8 min
Sweating the vegetables in oil softens them and concentrates their sweetness without browning too fast.
For a smokier flavor, let the peppers char slightly before adding the tomatoes.
Sweating Cook onions and peppers over medium heat without browning until soft and translucent. Watch for gentle steam, not sizzling; if they brown, lower the heat.
-
Stir in 1.5 tsp paprika and 0.5 tsp cumin. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add 400 g canned tomatoes and 300 ml water. Stir well.
~1 min
Blooming spices in hot oil releases fat-soluble flavor compounds, making the paprika and cumin taste fuller.
Blooming spices Add ground spices to hot oil and stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant. Do not let them burn, or they turn bitter.
-
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the peppers are very tender, about 15 minutes.
~15 min
Gentle simmering lets the peppers break down and the flavors meld without scorching the soup.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the soup simmers, toast the 2 slices of bread in the dry large saucepan over medium heat until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
~4 min
Dry toasting dehydrates the bread surface, creating a crisp crust through Maillard browning.
-
Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup, leaving some chunks for texture. Stir in 0.75 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Taste and adjust.
~2 min
Blending only half the soup keeps some chunks, giving body and texture while thickening naturally.
-
Crack the 2 eggs into the simmering soup, cover, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft, about 4 minutes.
~4 min
Poaching eggs directly in the soup gently sets the whites while keeping the yolks soft and runny.
-
Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with a poached egg, and serve with the toasted bread on the side.
~2 min