Roasted Sweet Corn & Tomato Soup

I am rushing into fall with a little soup action. I came across a recipe on Pinterest for Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup and immediately knew it would be perfect served either hot or cold… which is a good thing since it’s still nearly 100º here in Sacramento. It may be September, but it continues to be rather toasty outside.

I grabbed my iPad and started entering ingredients into my Safeway delivery shopping cart. Not being able to just jump in the car to walk through a grocery store is a bizarre feeling. I have not been in a brick and mortar grocery store for over 8-weeks. The online delivery service has been very convenient. Sure, I could send Dan to the store with a detailed list (did that once) – but I prefer to not torture him as he’s had to do pretty much every household chore by himself. He’s not a fan of grocery shopping and clicking “add to cart” was a better solution for us. Besides, we’ve saved a ton of money – you get what you need, avoiding impulse purchases. I’ve also managed to score free delivery codes every single time. They want us to keep shopping this way and I just might – minus a few Trader Joe’s and other specialty store runs here and there.

O.k., enough about groceries, let’s get back to the soup recipe…

I did make some changes to the original recipe I found on Pinterest – so I will post my version below.  I doubled the recipe, but will include the single recipe version here. Serving size – 6 cups.

Ingredients

• 4 Fresh Ears of Corn
• 10 oz. Cherry and Sungold Tomatoes
• 4-6 Cloves Garlic – roughly chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil – divided
• 1 Medium Onion – white or yellow – diced
• 8 oz. Roasted Red Bell Peppers – rough chopped
• 32 oz. Chicken Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 – 1 Teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder – adjust for desired heat
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
• Fresh Basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400º F.

I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef corn kernel cutter tool to remove the raw kernels from the cob. Say that 5 x’s fast.

Since I doubled the recipe, I purchased two 10 oz. clamshells of tomatoes – since there aren’t many farmer’s market trips for me these days. Just make sure you get the smaller cherry or grape shaped tomatoes. You could use full size, but roasting works really well with the smaller ones.

I placed the corn, tomatoes, and garlic on foil-lined baking sheets and then drizzled them with olive oil. I also lightly sprinkled the tomatoes and corn with salt and freshly ground pepper. I gently tossed and then arranged the mixture into a flat layer. Since I doubled the recipe, I ended up with two baking sheets in the oven.

I baked/roasted the corn and tomatoes for 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes started to crinkle and burst. Don’t be alarmed if the corn turns a little golden brown as well. The time could vary depending on your oven.

While the tomatoes and corn were roasting, I heated up my Dutch oven to medium high heat on the stove. I added the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and diced onion to the pot, sautéing until tender. After that I added the chopped roasted red bell peppers, chicken broth, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, some kosher salt and a few twists from the pepper grinder.

I used Nob Hill Trading Co. roasted bell peppers with balsamic vinegar. They are the house brand for Raley’s/BelAir. I happened to have them on hand and the garlic lover in me decided to just go for it… I’m glad I did. You could just use regular roasted bell peppers, but since the soup turned out so great, I will probably hunt this brand down again for the next batch.

When the corn and tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the pot. Be sure to reserve some if you like a chunkier consistency to your soup. I reserved about a 1/2 cup of the corn, but added all of the tomatoes into the pot.

Bring the soup to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Use an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and puree until almost smooth. You can go all the way smooth, but I prefer “almost” smooth in all soups – hot or cold. It’s a texture thing for me.

Taste and add additional salt, pepper or chipotle chili powder if you need some added heat. Divide into bowls, add a big spoonful of the reserved corn and fresh basil to each bowl. Serve hot or bring to room temperature and then place in the fridge to chill.

The flavors really developed by the next day. If serving cold, I’d definitely let chill overnight. I’m already thinking of ways to make this in the late fall and early winter. I’ll probably buy Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn and fire roasted canned tomatoes – skipping the whole roasting process. Fresh tomatoes and corn are amazing, but there is no way I won’t want this soup throughout the remainder of the year and beyond. Yes, it was that good. Teamed with a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich… don’t mind if I do.  

[yumprint-recipe id=’2′]I’m already searching for more soup recipes to make. It’s so easy to pop a container in the microwave for lunches. Do you have a favorite “go to” soup?