Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup

Warm your hands around a bowl of Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup! The flavor is beyond delicious—it’s deep, light yet filling, and I just know you are going to love it.

What makes this soup so amazing is the Ras el Hanout spice blend. It’s a Morrocan seasoning consisting of spices like coriander, turmeric, and ground ginger among other spices. It’s the backbone of this recipe.

This recipe is naturally dairy-free and can be made vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

How to Make Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup

First, peel the eggplant leaving some skin on. Next, cut off the tops, slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, then into half circles. Place into a baking dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Bake it at 400°F for 40 minutes—tossing and turning halfway through.

Once roasted, reserve two cups of eggplant. The extra eggplant will be used later.

Quick Tips for Roasting Eggplant

• Cut the eggplant into smaller pieces for quick cooking time.
• Use a generous amount of olive oil—this veggie is a sponge! That being said, once the olive oil, salt, and pepper are applied, use your hands to toss the eggplant until it’s coated well.
• If you still find that the eggplant is pale yellow and dry after baking, continue to bake and turn your oven up!

Next, heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, salt, and pepper and cook until the onions have softened. When ready, add the Ras el Hanout and bay leaf and cook for 30 seconds.

Then add the crushed tomato sauce, the two cups of reserved eggplant, and chicken broth. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.

After the eggplant is soft and tender, you can either use an emulsion blender or a regular blender to make the soup creamy.

If you want the soup to be really creamy, I would use a countertop blender. However, I personally like the consistency of an emulsion blender.

Finally, add in the remaining eggplant, give a stir and place it over a low flame just until warmed through.

Optional: feel free to add more chicken broth until desired consistency is met.

Mediterranean Cravings I know you’ll love

• Garlicky Cabbage and Carrot Yogurt Meze
• Celery Root & Potato Hash
• Better than TURKISH EGGS (cilbir)
• Mediterranean Scrambled Eggs

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Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Soup

Author: Ashley Altan Cooking Method: Roasting, Simmering Cuisine: Mediterranean, Moroccan Courses: Eggplant Recipes, Mediterranean Cravings, Soup Recipe Keys: D Dairy Free G Gluten Free

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 40 min Total Time 50 mins Best Season: Winter

Description

Yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients

Servings

• 2 pounds eggplant (about 4-5 slim eggplants)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil (plus more for garnish)
• 1 + ³⁄₄ teaspoon sea salt (divided)
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Ras el Hanout
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (plus more if needed)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup crushed tomato sauce
• ¹⁄₄ cup dried cherries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F

2. First, peel the eggplant leaving some skin on. Next, cut off the tops, slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, then into half circles. Place into a baking dish with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the baking dish on the top oven rack and bake for 40 minutes at 400°F, tossing and rotating halfway through.

   Once the eggplant is finished roasting reserve 2 cups. We'll use the remaining eggplant for later. 

3. Next, heat a pot over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and saute until the onions have softened.  When ready, add the garlic, ras el hanout, and bay leaf and stir-fry for 30 seconds. 

4. Then, stir in the tomato sauce, reserved eggplant, and broth. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on low heat or until the eggplant has softened. 

5. Finally, remove the bay leaf and puree the soup with an emulsion blender or countertop blender until creamy. Lastly, add the remaining eggplant and lemon juice. Place back onto the stove and cook on low heat just until warmed through. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, and parsley. Enjoy while hot.

Note

This recipe was adopted by The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook (The Complete ATK Cookbook Series) (p. 48)  with modifications made. 

Keywords: roasted eggplant soup