I would give it a swirl of cream (though not if it needed to keep vegan) and a sprinkle of chopped parsley,

Vegan creamy could be soft tofu or cashew cream or something coconut, but I think that would change the soup a lot. Non-vegan could be my fave, a small dollop floating of pure sour cream (i.e., the kind that's just cream, no gums or other additives which get weird in soup). Stirred in, again, would change the soup too much.

Cooling could be as simple as a chiffonade of fresh mint. Or cilantro if you're a fan.

Creamy - sour cream, good yogurt ( Cabot Greek 10% milk fat is delightful) or vegan creamy as suggested above.

Herby - basil chiffonade, fresh thyme, Italian parsley., fennel tops, If chervil were available that is very nice. Or Or, whip up some basil oil if you are ambitious

Crunchy - toasted pepitas or pine nuts or croutons. I think popcorn could be a fun soup garnish unless it would get soggy too fast.

I like the suggestions of sour cream or yogurt.

For crunchy, homemade croutons can be good. I usually don’t serve bread when I do that since the croutons are enough IMO. Ina has a tasty tomato soup served with grilled cheese croutons.

Thanks!

Sour cream was pretty good. I like the crouton idea to sort of be a vehicle for herbs. It needed more balancing, for sure, since all I used was a sour cream.

I'd rather feel like it'd be good if it was a sort of sauce. Sour cream mixed with something acidic, like lemon juice? I think it's overly sweet with the carrots and the roasted peppers? I'm very tempted to try a tablespoon of vinegar, if that tells you.

Stirring a small quantity of acid into the soup just before serving can add a good note— start small maybe adding to just a portion of it. rice wine vinegar is milder. Ive had blood oranges and meyer lemons in my fridge recently and they’ve been nice to play with— zest and juice. Croutons tossed with citrussy zaatar while still warm is another idea.

And again, your croutons sound amazing.

I think that's just the thing it needs. Some sort of mini grilled cheese herby bready things... whatever that means.

Thanks!

If it seems too sweet you could try the tablespoon of vinegar. I often add a touch of vinegar to certain soups at the end just for a little ”boost.” Just start with a small amount and taste check.

If you serve the soup to guests (or not!) it can be fun to make the croutons in shapes using mini cookie cutters. I’ve done that with mini leaf-shaped cookie cutters for pumpkin or squash soup. I found this pic online with star croutons…cute!

I've seen TV chefs do the spoon of vinegar. I think lemon might be too flavorful, but a little ACV might be just the thing to cut the sweetness. Glad you liked the sour cream. :) So, some plain yoghurts are pretty acidic. Maybe double duty?

I would use Greek yogurt. More tangy than sour cream.

Adding lemon juice or vinegar to the sour cream could well curdle the sour cream.

zuchinni spirals

I made Italian Wedding Soup on Tuesday. I reheated it last night and checked the taste. Good! I still added a touch of red wine vinegar right before serving. Even better!

I would have lemon wedges available to squeeze into the soup. It's amazing how the lemon brightens all the flavors.

I sometimes top ginger carrot soup with pepitas.

If you want to be vegan some cashews soaked rinsed and blitzed can make a lovely creamy topping.

I often add a touch of acid to a soup with tomatoes. Not so sure about with peppers and potatoes. I would add a dollop of yogurt, which is tangy. Croutons are good, and with harissa, maybe some chopped egg . . . I often season scrambled eggs with home made harissa. Ooops, not vegan . . . croutons seem like a good idea for vegan. If you want a more tangy flavor, I often add low salt V8 juice to red or orange soups. It's not a garnish, but it does add a "je ne sais quoi?" tangy depth of flavor.