Roasted Eggplant & White Bean Soup

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

Ingredients

  • 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

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. With an immersion blender or regular blender puree the soup. If soup is too thick add a little more stock or water.
  6. 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.

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