creamy roasted red pepper soup with spicy sausage meatballs

well, this is awkward.

looks like i sort of skipped november and am now on the downhill slalom towards the holidays and 2021, except it feels like i’m blindly crashing into the poles and the occasional tree as i zoom and zig along the way, and no, of course i don’t know how to ski. i feel I should have an explanation, or an apology to issue for a lack of new recipes, but truthfully, i just didn’t want to stretch any creative bones in my body for a bit. the internet felt chaotic and cluttered, and my apparent reaction was to take a lot of long showers and eat a lot of boxed vegan mac and cheese. tbd on whether or not these are healthy coping skills. 2020 amirite??? (*will be ever so grateful when we can stop chalking everything up to an entire year going awry, honestly.)

anyway, thanks so much for being here, and if you responded to some instagram questions i had about the sort of thing you’d like to make + eat + would be helpful, a super thanks so much to you! in the spirit of those responses, we’re kicking things back off with a one-pot creamy roasted red pepper soup with spicy italian sausage meatballs, because it’s delicious, mostly nutritious, and would be beautiful for a sunday dinner-date night situation (love, LOVED how many of you wanted date night ideas. i do, too, so this is going to be so fun!)

the soup itself is dairy-free and the simplest to make, so if you’re a plant-based friend, skip the meatballs and head straight for the soup. if you’re a meaty person but not a dairy person, skip the feta and roll your balls without it. you can make as many swaps as you need to and the end result will still be cozy and warm and so, so tasty. promise.

creamy roasted red pepper soup with spicy sausage meatballs
makes 4-6 servings (24 meatballs)
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour

for the meatballs:
1lb spicy Italian sausage
1lb ground chicken
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2c fresh parsley, chopped
1/2c fresh basil, chopped
1/2c feta cheese, optional
1tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1tsp red pepper flake (skip, do less, do more - however spicy you like things!)
1tsp oregano
1tsp onion powder
olive oil, as needed

for the soup:
24oz jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4c chicken or vegetable stock
1c canned coconut milk
1tbsp red wine vinegar, optional
1 1/2tsp salt (+ to taste)
1tsp black pepper
1/2tsp red pepper flake

in a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs. your hands will be your best tool here, so if this part is a little heebie-jeebie for you, i’d highly recommend a loud, distracting show tune or enlisting the help of a brave friend. and, with your hands, mix the meatballs until everything is combined. then, using a cookie scoop so they’re all the same size, scoop the balls out onto a plate, and roll them to make them a bit more uniform. i got 24 meatballs, so you can expect to land somewhere between 22-26.

in a very large pot that will be large enough to simmer a soup, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. working in a few batches, sear the meatballs for 2-3 minutes per side, then remove from the pot onto a plate. they will not be completely cooked through, but we’ll get to that in a bit. you want to work in batches so your pot isn’t over-crowded and they cook evenly! add more olive oil to your pot as needed with each batch.

once all the meatballs are seared and out of the pot, lower the heat to medium. add the onions, carrots, garlic, and spices for the soup, and scrape up all the bits from the meatballs as you stir (re: flavor.) saute the onion mixture for about 5 minutes, then add the roasted red peppers. saute for another couple minutes, then add the stock. simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

after 20 minutes, stir in the coconut milk, and let it warm through. then, carefully transfer the soup to a blender (if you have an immersion blender, lucky you! you can use that to blend the soup.) blend the soup until its smooth and creamy, and pour it back into the pot. stir in the vinegar, and taste-test to see if needs more salt.

at this point, you’re going to nestle the meatballs into the soup (this is where they’ll finish cooking all the way through.) simmer the soup on medium for 20 minutes.

i like to serve this with a heavy sprinkling of parsley, basil, and feta - but do you <3