Have you ever just cooked something and then been shocked at the result? In a good way?
I made this soup on a complete whim this weekend and I'm now in love with it. In LOVE! I just finished the last bowl and I can't lie, I'm sad. There's no doubt I will be making it again VERY soon.
The story is actually pretty funny. See, my friend asked if I'd like her CSA share last week. She stopped by with bags of fresh produce and I happily accepted without having a clue what to do with it. Some of it was easy to gobble up like the kohlrabi, which both kids devoured. The broccoli got roasted for a dinner side dish and the lettuce has made great salad and wrap containers. That left the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.
I woke up Sunday morning with a soup craving and an itching to cook and that's when the soup idea hit me.
But eggplant? In a soup? I wasn't sold. I didn't want that mushy texture. It's just not my thing. And that's when the roasting-puree idea hit me!
I decided to dig out all the Indian spices I could find in my pantry and I ended up with these...
Perfect!
Side note/Tip: Always walk down the spice aisle at the grocery store and look for sales. That's how I get "the good stuff" now and then. Because, honestly, I can't drop more than a few bucks on spices and some of those bad boys are EXPENSIVE. Just pick up what's on sale now and then and you can end up with a pretty well-stocked pantry!
While this was cooking, my house smelled amazing. Every spoonful of this soup had me smiling. It's seriously a warm bowl of yummy goodness.
Here's what I did...
Ingredients
- 3-4 small eggplant
- 2 small peppers
- 2 medium-large tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock (use veggie for vegetarian)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 cup water
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
- Feta cheese for topping (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Slice the eggplant about ¼-inch thick and lay them out on a lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
Roast the eggplant for about 20 minutes. You can pop the peppers in at this time, too.
Prepare the tomatoes the same way and roast them for 20 minutes as well.
While the veggies are roasting, start the soup base by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a stock pot. Sauté the onion and carrots with a little salt.
Once the onion starts to caramelize and darken, add the stock and spices. Simmer.
After 20 minutes, the eggplant will have shrunk down a fair amount.
The tomatoes, too.
Cut the whole roasted peppers.
Add all the roasted vegetables to the simmering stock. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and puree.
I added a cup of water to get the consistency I wanted as it reduced a bit during cooking.
Simmer until you're ready to serve.
I added a little cilantro for garnish but then the next day I had an epiphany.
Feta! It was a great addition!
WWPP are based on Nutritional Information. Count as you see fit.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 3-4 small eggplant
- 2 small peppers
- 2 medium-large tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 4 cups 32 ounces chicken stock (use veggie for vegetarian)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 cup water
- Cilantro for garnish optional
- Feta cheese for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Slice the eggplant about ¼-inch thick and lay them out on a lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.3-4 small eggplant
- Roast the eggplant for about 20 minutes. You can pop the peppers in at this time, too.
- Prepare the tomatoes the same way and roast them for 20 minutes as well.
- While the veggies are roasting, start the soup base by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a stock pot. Sauté the onion and carrots with a little salt.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 carrots
- Once the onion starts to caramelize and darken, add the stock and spices. Simmer.4 cups 32 ounces chicken stock (use veggie for vegetarian), 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 2 medium yellow onions
- After 20 minutes, the eggplant will have shrunk down a fair amount. The tomatoes, too.2 medium-large tomatoes
- Cut the whole roasted peppers.2 small peppers
- Add all the roasted vegetables to the simmering stock. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and puree.
- I added a cup of water to get the consistency I wanted as it reduced a bit during cooking.1 cup water
- Simmer until you're ready to serve.
- I added a little cilantro for garnish but then the next day I had an epiphany.Cilantro for garnish, Feta cheese for topping
Christine D
I made this earlier today. I skinned the eggplant by the way. The roasting was so quick and easy. I sliced everything, threw it in the oven and then started on my base while waiting. we are having it for dinner tonight. I did throw this into WW etools and came up with 3 pts per serving so I reduced the tbsp of olive oil down to a 1/2 and it brought the points to 2 per serving. Not sure my hubby is going to like the spices in this but i have a back up plan for him - grilled cheese! LOL
roni
OMG Grilled cheese would be great with this! Hope he likes it. 🙂
Edna
The roasting makes it a bit time consuming (to my liking) but the end result looks so yummy, I'm definitely going to try this recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
Nadia
Great recipe Roni, looks sooo yummy. This is just what I need as the weather is getting colder 🙂
laurie
It looks and sounds delicious! Next time you need spices, go to an ethnic grocery. The spices are much less, 50-60% less. Definitely a bargain. Thanks for another great blog.
Barb
Looks and sounds really good. How did the skins and the seeds from the eggplant fare after blending? End of season eggplants tend to have slightly tougher skins and their seeds are usually pretty hard. I have eggplants sitting on my counter right now, but no tomatoes - will have to used canned. Thanks for great recipes - I am going to make the spaghetti squash Noodle Bowl in the next day or two.
roni
I only had the baby eggplants in the photo above. SO the skins where pretty thin. I'd probably still chance it with a larger eggplant and simply cut my slices thinner. I like to keep the skins on everything if I can. But You could always peel them first for a smoother soup.
Hope that helps!