Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Bisque

In a stock pot melt butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Cook the vegetables until they start to soften about 5-10 minutes.

Add the flour to the vegetables and stir. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and break them up using a spatula or wooden spoon. Next, add the roasted red peppers. Toss in the thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Add the chicken or veggie stock. Let it all simmer for about 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally,

In a separate pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and let it cook for a few minutes in the oil (keep it moving around the pan). Then transfer the garlic into the other pot with the soup, reserving the oil. Add the bread cubes into the oil and toss to coat them. Let them toast in the pan for just a few minutes. Keep a close eye on them because they can burn easily! Once toasted, remove the croutons from the pan and set aside.

Once the soup has simmered for at least 30 minutes, remove the parsley, thyme stems, and bay leaf. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in small batches in a stand blender.

Wipe out the stock pot and then strain the soup back into the pot using a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Add the cream to the soup and stir to combine and heat over medium-low heat. Slowly reheat the soup over medium low heat then serve. Top each serving with the croutons, blue cheese crumbles, and chopped parsley.