Turkish Tomato & Red Pepper with Bulgur Soup Recipe

I cracked open my Mediterranean cookbook again the other day and I have to tell you that I’ve been having a good ol’ time with it. When it comes to that part of the world, there’s certainly no shortage of food ideas. So many of them fit with my tastes and lifestyle. Today’s recipe is one of those things that fits. It’s a great tasting soup that has some bite to it. And it’s got bulgur in it too. Who doesn’t love bulgur?

The Recipe

Okay, for those who don’t know, bulgur originates from wheat and is very simple to cook. It only takes 12 minutes, to be precise. I eat red wheat almost every day of my life for lunch, so things like bulgur aren’t new to me. Contrary to plain wheat though, the bulgur is much smaller. Each grain is almost as small as quinoa, but not quite.

This soup looks very much like its base; tomato. It includes onion, red bell pepper, garlic, mint, paprika and red pepper flakes, among other ingredients. Those red pepper flakes are what gives this soup the zing it has. Overall, this is a tasty dish that should hit the spot. The bulgur adds some bulk to it, so it’s rather filling. I doubled up on the ingredients last night and now we have a few evening’s worth of dinner. It didn’t take long to cook at all either, so that helped out too.

Ingredients

Serves: 6-8

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Onion, Chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, Cleaned and Chopped
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
3 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Dried Mint
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 28-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
3/4 Cup Dry Bulgur
Fresh Mint for Garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank America’s Test Kitchen for their incredible resource called The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. This is just another example of what this book has to offer. Good thing it has hundreds of recipes included in it.

Soften the Onion & Red Bell Pepper

Warm a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil to it and when it’s to temperature, add in the chopped onion and the red bell pepper. Also add 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onion and pepper soften up.

Next, add in the garlic, dried mint, paprika, pepper flakes and tomato paste. Stir and cook for another minute or so.

Add Wine & Tomatoes

Add in the wine and let simmer for a few minutes until it’s reduced by half. Then, add in the canned tomatoes along with the juice from the can and let everything simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.

Add Bulgur & Simmer

Next, add the vegetable broth and bulgur. Add more water if necessary. Raise the heat to high and when the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and let everything simmer for 20 minutes.

Here’s a photo of the bulgur, in case you’re interested.

Plate & Serve

Divide the soup between bowls and serve. Sprinkle some fresh mint on top of the soup for flavor and appearance. Enjoy!

The Final Tomato & Bulgur Soup

I really do love soups that are this easy to put together. There’s nothing like a huge pot of food sitting there waiting for me to eat it. And the best part was that the ingredients for this one were rather inexpensive. For what you get, it’s a value. Anyway, if you decide to give this soup a try, please let me know your thoughts down below. Thanks for reading!