Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Soup
This soup is just what the doctor ordered after a long and frustrating weekend at the farm. I’ll spare you the details but to sum things up, there was a couple of meltdowns followed by a long sleepless night due to some frustrating irrigation issues. The good news, we figured it all out and all is well again!
I don’t know about you all but I love eggplant season. And this creamy roasted eggplant soup is absolutely divine. Don’t let the long cooking time discourage you. It’s pretty hands off while the eggplant roasts. When topped with a little bit of parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice it’s heavenly. Grab a spoon.
Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours Serves: 4-6
- 2 medium-sized Italian eggplants, sliced in half lengthwise (about 2 pounds) see note
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil + more for roasting
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (or any other white bean) If canned, rinsed and drained
- 5-6 cups vegetable stock
- Juice from 1 medium size lemon (about 3-4 Tablespoons)
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil for serving
- Fine sea salt and pepper
- Minced parsley
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Drizzle each eggplant half with a little oil and a pinch of sea salt. Place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet and roast in the oven until very soft. About 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until the eggplant is cool enough to handle. (If you are working with smaller eggplants the cooking time will very).
- Meanwhile heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add the onion and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir well. Cook until onion begins to soften and lightly brown. About 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant. About 3 minutes.
- Scrape the insides of each eggplant half and add the flesh to the saucepan (if you are using smaller eggplants it's okay to add the skin to the saucepan as well). Stir in the beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- With an immersion blender or regular blender puree the soup. If soup is too thick add a little more stock or water.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and squeeze in the lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil and minced parsley.
Notes
* If you are working with smaller eggplants or the long skinny Japanese style eggplants feel free to roast them whole and puree them with the skins on. Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Always taste test as you go.
I never thought to use eggplant in soup, but now that I see this recipe, it makes complete sense. Eggplants are so creamy on the inside. This soup looks delicious. Perfect after a hard day.
This really is a delightful soup after a long day. Enjoy!
I hope you get to treat yourself to a massage this season; you majorly deserve it. You and Taylor ought to get a couples massage on the farm with a view of Mt. Hood!
I’m sure this soup is a nice alternative though. I’m usually finicky about eggplant because of the texture but this completely solves that problem! Looks delicious!!
A couples massage is in order!!! Thanks for the idea!!
You and Taylor work harder than anyone I know! You deserve a live-in masseuse. (Is that in the farm budget?!) I must confess I’m afraid of roasting eggplant because it turned out really bitter the last time I tried. Pretty sure I have to get over that pronto so I can make this soup, though – it looks like liquid baba ghanoush! This is definitely going on my summer menu.
You are too sweet. Thank you! If we have a successful season I think I will get a live-in masseuse. That would be heaven on earth! I think you might be in need of a massage too. Didn’t you just finish a half marathon? Amazing!
This sounds perfect Andrea! Two of our favorite vegetables. Keep the faith you two xox
Thank you!
I made this yesterday Andrea it was great. I used less garlic and at the end added chopped fresh cilantro. Today it was even better much more intense flavor, I love the way soups and stews just keep getting better. Marvelous recipe.
going to try this one soon when i have a night to myself since my husband hates eggplant. That’s ok more for me! Wish I lived closer – I’m a massage therapist – we could have set up a barter! I’d gladly give a massage for a box of organic farm veggies!
I would LOVE to trade veggies for a massage. What can I do to get you all to move closer??? XO
just made this last night. my boyfriend said the pre blended version looked like slime … but my, was it nice tasting slime. did no chilli no salt version for baby and he lapped it up. thanks so much … when you gonna get a book contract? I wamt all your recipes in one place
I’m so happy you loved this soup as much as we did! Yay to slime!!!
Even the pup was tired, hm? This looks awesome – eggplants and cannelini are some of my favorites stuffs.
Andrea,
Just made a great rainy fall afternoon version of this
YUMMY!
Woohoo!!! i’m so happy. Cheers to soup season!
Didn’t have beans so used couscous instead and added 2 cups of kale. So delicious!
Just made this. So delicious! Perfect for after the holidays when you want something filling but really need to ease up on the meat and dairy.
I made this and added coriander, it was so good! Thanks for the inspiraiton.
Not being really familiar with eggplants, how much does a medium eggplant weigh? I would like to try this recepie as it sound delicious and fairly easy to prepare.
hi there, anywhere between .75 pounds and 1.5 pounds. This recipe is forgiving so use what you can find. Happy cooking!
I added carrots and celery to the roasting pan and a can of tomatoes while simmering. AWESOME!
3rd time making this delish soup! I turned it up a notch by roasting a garlic bulb, two carrots and a few shallots with the eggplant. So good!
Love your additions!! Yum!