Soup is one of those dishes that’s impossible to get bored of, as there are so many different varieties out there to try.
From a spicy ramen to a comforting bowl of lentil soup, it’s perfect for those chilly autumn evenings when you want something comforting but don’t fancy spending hours preparing a meal.
And if you’ve got an air fryer, the whole process is made even easier – as you can actually roast your ingredients in this handy device before blending them up and serving.
I decided to try my hand at an air fryer creamy red pepper soup for dinner this week after seeing a recipe on TikTok, that promises a delicious dinner with minimal prep involved.
The recipe in question was created by Bored of Lunch, a foodie content creator who specialises in air fryer and slow cooker recipes, the Express reports.
I’d never thought to use my air fryer for soup before, but it works just like the oven would do – all you need in terms of prep is to pop some vegetables in the drawer and let them cook for 20 minutes before blending up with stock and cream.
After the last viral soup recipe I’d tried, which involved using the slow cooker, I had very high hopes. So I headed out to my local Lidl to get everything I needed, plus a loaf of thick sourdough bread that I knew would pair perfectly.
Here’s everything you need to make this simple yet delicious recipe, and how to do it.
Air fryer red pepper soup
Ingredients
- 500g of cherry tomatoes
- Three red peppers
- One red onion
- One tbsp olive oil
- Three garlic cloves
- One tsp oregano & thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 250ml of veggie stock
- 150ml of double cream
- Handful of fresh basil
Method
First, chop up the onion and peppers. Then, add them to your air fryer basket with the cherry tomatoes and garlic, along with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper, and give it a good stir.
The recipe recommends cooking for 20 minutes on 200C, but since my air fryer is tiny and the basket was quite full, I decided to go for 180C for 25 minutes instead just to avoid burning the vegetables.
I checked the vegetables at around the halfway mark and gave them a quick stir just to make sure nothing was sticking, but they were soon cooked to perfection.
The recipe then recommends adding the cream, stock and basil straight into the air fryer, but again, mine simply didn’t have the space.
So I added the vegetables to my blender and whizzed them up before transferring it to a pot over a low heat, and added in the stock bit by bit until the soup started to loosen up.
Then, once all the stock had been incorporated, I added the cream and took the soup off the heat before dividing it into bowls.
A quick sprinkle of extra black pepper on top, and it was ready to serve, along with some delicious slices of buttered sourdough.
I was really pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was, especially since it was so quick to make. Usually soups take a bit of time for all the flavours to fully come together, but the air fryer seemed to have done the trick very fast.
The creaminess really took it to the next level, but if I were to make it again I’d maybe add some chillies as it was a little mild for my taste. However, it was still delicious, and definitely one that I’ll be making again.