Tomato and Red Pepper Broth
This tomato and red pepper broth is served with couscous and is a great recipe for cleaning out your fridge.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 486kcal
Equipment
- Large pot
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion peeled and quartered
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ pounds ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
- 3 red or orange bell peppers trimmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 6–7 cups water plus more as needed
- 1½ cups pearl couscous
- 5 ounces arugula
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
- Microgreens or shredded basil, or minced parsley, optional
- Extra virgin olive oil optional
Instructions
Cook the onion:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and the butter in a large pot over medium until frothy. Add the quartered onion and cook for 5 minutes until it just begins to brown.
Brown the tomato paste:
- Season with crushed red pepper and add the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until it begins to deepen in color.
- Add the tomatoes and peppers to the pot and toss to coat. Season everything with salt and pepper.
Simmer the broth:
- Pour in 6 cups of water. If more water is needed to cover the vegetables, add another cup or two. Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium. Hard simmer the broth for 15–30 minutes to reduce it slightly. Add water in 1/4 cup increments if the broth reduces too quickly. Taste and season once more to your preferences.
Strain the broth:
- Place a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the broth through the sieve. Use a spoon to mash the solids into the sieve to strain out as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Wipe out the pot and return it to the stove.
Cook the couscous:
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the pearl couscous and cook for 2 minutes until they begin to turn golden brown.
- Pour the broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 12–15 minutes until the pearl couscous is al dente. Taste and season.
Wilt the arugula:
- Add the arugula to the broth and cook for 1–3 minutes until bright green and wilted. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Ladle the broth and couscous into shallow bowls and garnish with microgreens or fresh herbs. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, if you like. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Sodium: 165mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin C: 146mg
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