Hearty vegan, creamy and smokey Tomato and Peppers soup

On a cold winter's day nothing brings the feeling of sunshine like a bowl of fresh made warm tomato soup, drizzled with the goodness of the bottled sunshine of Opus Oléa extra virgin olive oil!      

INGREDIENTS

6 fresh tomatoes, quartered

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and more for drizzling

1 medium white onion quartered

6 cloves of garlic

1/2 of a red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into rough chunks

1 x 400ml canned tomatoes

1 x 400ml canned in water butter beans, drained

300ml vegetable stock 

1 bay leaf

pinch of smoked paprika powder or more to taste 

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking sheet and spread your quartered tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell pepper and carrot chunks on it.  Roast for about 45 minutes until the veggies are soft and slightly charred around the edges.  Remove from the oven and dip the contents of your tray into a medium saucepan.  Add half your drained butter beans, your canned tomato, bay leaf, pinch of smoked paprika and your vegetable stock and let cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.  Blend your soup with an immersion blender and adjust it with some water if you prefer a runnier consistency.

Make the topping by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and crisping up the remaining drained butter beans in it.

Serve the soup in bowls with a drizzle of Opus oléa and a toping of a few crispy butter beans.  Also lovely to pair with a gooey, grilled cheese sandwich for an even more comforting feeling.