red pepper and pear soup

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=printerFriendly&recipe_id=1842425   this was posted on another site I'm on and it just sounded terrific with these cooler fall days for most of us :) Thought I'd share it here too. I'm going to pick up some pears at market this week and give it a try with some vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Might fool around with it and add some other peppers to it too for some more heat !

Red Pepper-and-Pear Soup


Prep: 15 min., Cook: 40 min., Cool: 20 min.


2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large red bell peppers, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
2 Anjou pears, peeled and sliced
1 (32-oz.) container fat-free chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper
Garnishes: thinly sliced fresh pears, plain yogurt, chopped fresh chives


1. Melt butter with oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add bell pepper and next 3 ingredients, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.

3. Process soup, in batches, in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Return to Dutch oven, and keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.

Note: To make ahead, let soup cool, and store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often.

Note: Nutritional analysis does not include garnishes.



Yield:  Makes 7 cups (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 103 (0.0% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 2.3g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g); IRON 0.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 9mg; CALCIUM 24mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.4g; SODIUM 654mg; PROTEIN 1.9g; FIBER 3.6g

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2008

[gracefromHHP]

I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious!! I added a jalapeno to it too for more heat :)

I didn't add any sour cream or yogurt to it and it still tasted good.  

grace