CREAMY ROASTED RED PEPPER TOMATO SOUP

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup image

Warm up this winter with this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup. Studded with bacon and topped with pesto cream cheese, this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup looks like you spent the entire day making it. Nope. Not even close.

Provided by My Food and Family

Time 50m

Yield Makes 10 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

4 lb. tomatoes
4 large red peppers, chopped and de-seeded
4 large yellow peppers, chopped and de-seeded
4 large green peppers, chopped and de-seeded
3 medium jalapeño peppers, chopped and de-seeded
2 large sweet yellow onions, sliced
1 head garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pkg. (1 lb.) bacon
1 cup fresh basil leaves
sea salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup CLASSICO Traditional Basil Pesto Sauce and Spread (for garnish)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg. PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed (for garnish)
1 cup croutons (for garnish)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Core and cut tomatoes in half and place in a large oven roasting pan. Add chopped peppers, sliced onions, chopped garlic and uncooked bacon.
Add 1 cup fresh basil leaves to the roasting pan mixture. Make sure the stems are removed and the leaves have been washed and patted dry. Salt and pepper all items in the roasting pan and toss.
Pour the olive oil over the items in the roasting pan and toss lightly.
Place the roasting pan full of veggies, bacon and herbs into an oven on the middle upper rack and bake for approximately 30 minutes until everything is soft and juicy. Cool 10 to 15 minutes.
Blend veggies in batches in a blender on the liquefy setting. Pour the contents into a large stock pot or soup pan and heat over medium heat.
Once everything is blended and in the pot, add 1/4 cup butter and the 8 oz. of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and stir until melted and incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the flavoring at this point according to taste, perhaps adding some Italian seasonings or red pepper flakes.
For the pesto cream sauce garnish, pick up a jar of pesto at the local grocer. Mix 1/4 cup pesto with 4 oz. of cream cheese.
When serving the soup, garnish with croutons and a dollop of the pesto cream cheese topping. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 0 g, Fat 0 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 g, Sodium 0 g, Carbohydrate 0 g, Fiber 0 g, Sugar 0 g, Protein 0 g