This tasty recipe for Easy Roasted Pepper and Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly) is surprisingly simple to make! If you’re like many of my clients, your life is busy. And if a recipe looks too complicated, chances are you’re not going to make it!
I’m not sure why, but roasting peppers always seemed like it would be too much trouble. Well, I am pleased to let you know that it really is NOT difficult!
Jump to:
- Reasons to make our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
- Ingredients in Roasted Pepper and Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
- Variations to Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
- Serving Suggestions for Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
- Storage of Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
- Enjoy Your Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup!
- Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
Reasons to make our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
We’ve already established that our recipe for Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup is a cinch to make, but there are SO many other great things about it!
Gourmet Flavor
Our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup is restaurant quality, for sure! The flavor of the roasted red peppers shines through loud and clear! Also, the special combination of the other ingredients and spices, along with the caramelization of the vegetables, give the finished product so many layers of flavor!
Packed Full of Veggies
4 different veggies go into this recipe. Each serving of soup containing~ 2 servings of veggies.
Not only do the veggies provide 3g of fiber per serving, but the red peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C! Each serving has a whopping 102 g of vitamin C, or 114% of the Daily Value!
Virtually all nutrition guidelines emphasize the importance of adequate fruits and vegetables. Examples include:
- General healthy eating as outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025
- Heart healthy diet guidelines as recommended by the American Heart Association
- The DASH diet for hypertension
- A kidney-friendly diet. This article by the American Kidney Fund breaks down the importance of fruits and vegetables for those with all stages of kidney disease.
Limited Number of Ingredients
We like to keep our recipes simple at The Everyday Kidney Cook! One way we do this is by keeping the number of ingredients as low as possible (without sacrificing taste!). Besides the veggies, our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup recipe uses only a few other key ingredients, plus spices (We'll do a run-down of the ingredients a little further down in this article).
Low Sodium and Heart Healthy
Our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup contains just 204 mg sodium per serving. This is in contrast to many online recipes or storebought roasted red pepper soup, which usually contain between 500 and 700 mg for a comparable-sized serving!
204 mg can easily fit into the healthy and low sodium eating guidelines from the following:
These guidelines recommend that adults limit their sodium intake to no more than 2300mg per day. (If you have high blood pressure, kidney disease or other health condition, you may be advised a sodium limit closer to 1500 mg/day).
In addition, the above healthy-eating guidelines encourage you to consume abundant vegetables, a diet rich in fiber and heart healthy oil--all of which apply to this recipe. (We’ll get into the specific ingredients soon!)
Kidney-Friendly
A “kidney-friendly diet” can mean a few different things—low sodium and sometimes low potassium and/or phosphorus as well. Note: Please consult your kidney dietitian or doctor for the guidelines that are specific to your needs!
Sodium
If you have kidney problems or are at risk for kidney problems, you have likely been advised to limit sodium in your diet. As mentioned above, we’ve got the sodium covered!
Potassium
In addition, those with kidney problems, depending of the stage of the disease (more often the later stages, such as stage 3b, stage 4 and stage 5) and blood test results, can be advised to limit potassium as part of their kidney-friendly diet.
Our recipe for Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup contains 268 mg of potassium. That’s not bad considering each serving contains ~ 2 servings of veggies (which are inherently higher in potassium than many other foods--even lower potassium vegetables).
In comparison, storebought roasted red pepper soup often contains tomatoes (which are high in potassium) and usually has around 500 mg potassium in the same size serving. That’s almost double the amount of potassium that’s in our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup!
Phosphorus
Our recipe contains 129mg of phosphorus per serving. Most importantly, it contains NO phosphate additives, which is found in many canned or packaged roasted red pepper soup.
This is especially important because phosphate additives are absorbed almost 100% by the body and therefore can significantly increase the blood phosphorus levels for those who have kidney disease. (The kidneys are unable to effectively regulate the amount of phosphorus in the blood when they’re not working properly).
Carb-Friendly
Good news if you have diabetes or need to monitor the amount of carbohydrates that you eat! This weighs in at ~ 10g carbs per serving, or less than 1 standard carbohydrate serving or exchange (which is around 15 g). Almost 100% of the carbs comes from the vegetables.
Ingredients in Roasted Pepper and Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
This recipe includes only 5 main ingredients, plus spices.
Red peppers
The red peppers are the stars of this dish, adding so much flavor! When roasted in the oven, the flavor is even more robust. Please don’t let the thought of roasting intimidate you! It really is easy to do!
Mirepoix (finely chopped onions, carrots & celery)
Mirepoix is simply a mixture of 2 parts chopped onions and 1 part each of chopped carrots and celery. To make the recipe extra easy, I chose to use the pre-chopped mix found in the produce section of the grocery store. However, of course you can choose to purchase and chop each individual ingredient yourself!
Coincidentally, the ready-made mirepoix usually comes in 10 oz containers (weight-wise), which is about 2 cups in volume. Which happens to be the exact amount you need for this recipe! Super easy!
Unsalted chicken broth
Unsalted broth is one of my favorite low sodium cooking hacks. In this recipe, it adds a flavorful liquid to the soup without unwanted salt.
Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil (or your preferred oil)
The extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil in our Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup is a good source of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat. We use the oil when roasting the peppers and caramelizing the mirepoix.
Gouda cheese
Gouda cheese has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. The longer it's aged, the more intense the flavor. This cheese melts well, and therefore goes great in this recipe.
Most of the sodium and phosphorus in our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup comes from the gouda. Most brands of gouda have around 200 mg sodium/ounce. One caution: Although smoked gouda has a great flavor, it tends to be much higher in sodium!
Spices
Especially with low sodium cooking, the amount and types of spices can “make or break” a recipe. The special combination of spices in this recipe come together to give the Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup a rich flavor. Here are the spices we use:
- Smoked paprika—Don't confuse it with regular or “sweet” paprika. As the name implies, this spice imparts a nice smoky flavor.
- Ground black pepper
- Garlic powder—You may also use minced garlic.
- Italian seasoning
To learn more about how to make low sodium food taste great using spices and other ingredients and cooking techniques, be sure to read this article: 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian).
Variations to Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
Below are some variations you can try of this recipe to make it your own!
Vegetarian or Vegan Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and you have a vegetarian version of this recipe. Furthermore, you can take it one step further and either eliminate the cheese, or replace it with a vegan cheese, and you have a vegan soup!
One note: if you need to watch phosphorus in your diet, just be aware that many vegan cheeses contain phosphate additives. Our article: Best Low & Reduced Sodium Tuna (Kidney-Friendly, too) discusses how to check a food’s ingredient list for phosphate additives.
Change up the veggies!
This soup is very versatile and other veggies work nicely in this recipe. (The vegetables are blended together into a smooth puree). Some lower potassium veggies that you could use in addition to, or in place of, some of the vegetables in this recipe include: cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, green beans & wax beans.
Creamy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
For a creamier soup, eliminate ¾ cup of the broth in the recipe. Continue to prepare as directed and then add ¾ cup of half & half to the recipe right before serving. This will add an additional ~ 22 mg of phosphorus (for a total of 151 mg) and an additional 30 mg of potassium (for a total of 298 mg) per serving.
One note: Some half & half brands do, unfortunately, contain phosphate additives. Be sure to check the ingredient list as mentioned above if phosphorus is a concern for you.
Another option for a kidney-friendly Creamy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup is to add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl before serving. One tablespoon of sour cream only contains 9 g of phosphorus and 15 mg of potassium.
Spicy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
Try adding any of the following spices if you'd like to make your soup with a little kick: red pepper flakes, chili powder and/or cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions for Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
This soup goes great with the following:
- Topped with croutons, a dollop of sour cream or sprinkle of parmesan cheese
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- A crusty roll
- A side salad
- Our recipe for Easy Low Sodium Sloppy Joes (Kidney-Friendly)
- Our recipe for Low Sodium Macaroni & Cheese (Dump & Bake)
- With Easy Low Sodium Cornbread (Kidney-Friendly)
Storage of Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup
Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup stays fresh in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about 3 days. Frozen, it will keep well for up to 6 months.
Enjoy Your Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup!
Our Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup has gourmet flavor, but it’s easy enough for even the novice cook to make! Also, you may choose to make adjustments to the ingredients to suit your needs and taste preferences. Finally, this soup is heart-healthy and low in sodium, phosphorus and potassium, meaning you can enjoy it with any stage of kidney disease!
Give it a try and let us know how you liked it!
Easy Roasted Pepper & Gouda Soup (Kidney-Friendly)
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Medium-large pot
- cooking utensils: knife, scraping spatula, cooking spoon & fork + cheese shredder if cheese is not pre-shredded
- blender: handheld immersion or countertop
Ingredients
- 4 whole red bell peppers (sliced into large chunks with seeds & stem removed)
- 2 cups Mirepoix mix (or make your own with ⅔ c. chopped onion & ⅓ cup each of chopped carrots & celery)
- 2 Tablespoon avocado or extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 4 ounces shredded gouda (about 1 cup) (use pre-shredded or shred your own)
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder may substitute with 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove seeds and stem from the peppers and slice each into about 6 pieces.
- Place pepper slices on the lined baking sheet skin side up. Using a pastry brush, coat the peppers with 1 Tablespoon of the oil.
- Bake the peppers for 20-30 minutes until softened. The skins should be blackened in spots and the skin will be starting to puff up.
- While the peppers bake, cook the mirepoix mix (or the chopped onions, carrots & celery) in the other tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Cook about 10 minutes until the vegetables soften and start to caramelize.
- Add the broth and seasonings to the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the shredded gouda the last few minutes.
- The peppers should be done around that time. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool until they can be handled. Remove the skins that you are able to peel off easily. Don't worry if some pieces remain on the peppers.
- Add the peppers to the pot with the broth and vegetables and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Or, you can blend in batches in a countertop blender. To avoid getting burned, be careful not to overfill the blender and make sure the lid is on tight.
- Ladle the soup into small bowls or cups.
- ENJOY!
CG
Wow! This was really flavorful! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Beverly Garden - Registered Dietitian
Thanks for giving it a try, CG! So glad you enjoyed it!