Bell Pepper Soup with Cottage Cheese
Most bell pepper soup recipes start with broth. This one simmers two full red bell peppers in milk, blends everything smooth, and tops it with a cold scoop of cottage cheese.
381 calories, 20 grams of protein, 15 minutes. Smoked paprika and tomato paste build a depth that tastes like it took an hour. The cottage cheese adds a cool, tangy contrast on the warm base.
The milk is not a shortcut. Bell peppers are among the richest vegetable sources of carotenoids, and a 2021 human trial found that dairy protein increased carotenoid absorption by 45%. Most soup bases miss that connection entirely.
Ingredients
- olive oil 1 tbsp
- garlic clove 1 piece
- onion 0.5 piece
- bell pepper (red) 2 pieces
- tomato paste 1 tbsp
- semi-skimmed milk 200 ml
- vegetable stock cube 0.5 piece
- smoked paprika 1 tsp
- cottage cheese 100 g
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
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Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped garlic and onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until softened.
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Add the bell pepper pieces and tomato paste. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes.
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Pour in the milk and crumble in the stock cube. Add the smoked paprika and stir. Let it simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
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Blend the soup smooth with an immersion blender.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve the soup in a bowl and top with the cottage cheese.
Try roasting the garlic instead of sautéing it. Mash it into the cottage cheese before topping, and the cheese becomes something closer to a finishing sauce than a garnish. A pinch of chili flakes on the cottage cheese adds a slow heat that builds with every spoonful.
Bell peppers are loaded with carotenoids, the pigments behind the red and orange color. But carotenoids are trapped inside plant cell walls and poorly absorbed on their own. This recipe breaks them free three ways: the immersion blender cracks the cell walls open, the olive oil provides fat for absorption, and the milk delivers dairy protein that a 2021 human trial found boosted carotenoid absorption by 45%.
Protein × Carotenoid Absorption · DOIBehind this recipe
Can I use broth instead of milk?
Yes, the soup works with vegetable broth and the flavor will still be great. But the milk is doing more than adding creaminess. Bell peppers are packed with carotenoids, and a 2021 human trial found that dairy protein increased carotenoid absorption by 45% compared to the same meal without protein. Broth does not carry that benefit. If you swap, the soup tastes fine but loses the protein × carotenoid interaction that makes this version nutritionally unusual.
Is 20 grams of protein a lot for a vegetable soup?
Most vegetable soups without meat or legumes land between 3 and 8 grams of protein. This one hits 20 grams because the liquid base is milk and the topping is cottage cheese, both concentrated dairy protein sources. Research across 24 studies found that higher protein intake during a caloric deficit helps preserve lean mass, and a 381-calorie soup with 20 grams of protein fits that pattern well.
Read the full evidence reviewDo the bell pepper colors matter?
Red bell peppers have the highest carotenoid concentration of any color because they are fully ripened. Green peppers are picked earlier and carry significantly less beta-carotene, capsanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Orange and yellow fall in between. If you want the strongest version of the carotenoid × protein interaction this recipe is built around, red is the best choice.
What if I don't have an immersion blender?
Transfer the soup to a regular blender in batches. Fill no more than half full, hold the lid down with a towel, and start on low speed. A regular blender will give you an even smoother result. A food processor also works, though the texture may be slightly chunkier.
