Roasted Eggplant Soup

It was fun making this soup with a group of grade 4 and 5 students, many of whom had never seen eggplant, let alone eaten it. After roasting the eggplant looks…odd according to the students. But the soup is delicious!

*This recipe is vegan.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1.5 litres of soup

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise
15 ml ground cumin
60 ml extra virgin olive oil (reserve 45 ml for preparing the soup stock)
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 celery stalks, chopped
Approximately 1 litre vegetable stock
1 can diced tomatoes (398 ml)
125 ml parsley, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, whole
3-4 stalks fresh cilantro
1 stalk fresh thyme
1.25 ml ground cayenne powder (use up to 2.5 ml depending on desired heat)
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

For the Roast Eggplant:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).
  2. Cut eggplant into slices, lengthwise.
  3. Place eggplant on foil-lined baking sheet.
  4. Rub both sides with the some of the olive oil and ground cumin.
  5. Roast eggplant for 25-35 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork.
  6. Using a spoon, remove eggplant meat from skin and discard the skin. Set aside.

For the Soup:

  1. Heat 45 ml extra virgin olive oil in large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent and soft. Add chopped celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.
  2. Pour in 125-250 ml of the vegetable stock. Add diced tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, parsley, thyme, and eggplant.
  3. Add more vegetable stock, enough to cover the surface of the vegetables.
  4. Season with ground cayenne and black pepper.
  5. Bring soup to a low simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.
  6. Using an immersion blender or stand blender, blend soup until smooth—you may need to do this in two batches depending on your blender.
  7. *If using a stand blender, it’s a good idea to let the soup cool before blending.
  8. Place soup back in pot and reheat to serve.
  9. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves! Serve hot with crusty bread.