Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup ~

This creamy company-worthy soup is elegant, rich with flavor, and completely indulgent!

It’s an unusually cool and rainy day here in Virginia. One of those days where we stay home, do some reading, maybe watch a movie… in short, a day to kick back, relax, and enjoy the stormy weather.

I love these days like this where we’re not rushed to go anywhere.

I can start cooking early and at a leisurely pace. I can linger in the kitchen without feeling rushed to get dinner on the table in hurry.

This soup recipe is made for days like today.

A quick note regarding timing: You’ll want to allow about 2 hours for this soup to come together.

It is a labor of love but nothing difficult (most of that time is for roasting) and worth every minute of it.

The result is a rich and luscious soup with layers of flavor!

Round out the meal with a simple green salad and crusty bread for dipping and dinner is done!

Table of Contents

Ingredients for Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup

You will need

7 large heads of garlic, or enough to equal 1 cup
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds eggplant
1 cup French-style bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
6 cups vegan chicken-style broth
3/4 cup oat milk
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Aubergine vs. Eggplant

What’s the difference? If you’re not familiar with eggplant, you may know it as aubergine.

I kept seeing ‘aubergine’ and ‘eggplant’ used in ways that seemed interchangeable to me but I wasn’t sure so I did some quick research and this is what I found:

‘Aubergine is a word that is commonly used in British English. Almost all of the native British English speakers know about this word. And this word means an eggplant in American English.

So basically, aubergine and eggplant refer to the same thing.

The only difference between the two is that the word aubergine is widely used by the people living in European countries, while eggplant is widely used by the people living in the United States.

For example, American English and British English are both variations of English but they differ from each other.’

So there you have it.

How to Make Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

STEP TWO: Roast the garlic. Cut the garlic heads in half crosswise and arrange them, cut side up and in an even layer, onto 1/2 of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil over the garlic, crimping the ends to seal them together, forming a pouch. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is tender.

STEP THREE: Remove from the oven then carefully open the foil pouch. Set the garlic aside until it is cool enough to handle. Remove the garlic flesh by squeezing each clove between your thumb and index finger.

STEP FOUR: Make a garlic-herb paste. In a small mixing bowl, combine the roasted garlic, basil, parsley, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix well.

STEP FIVE: Roast the eggplant. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise then spread the garlic mixture over the flesh of each half. Arrange the eggplant, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When the eggplant is cool, use a spoon to remove the flesh and discard the skin.

Sliced eggplants with garlic herb mixture

STEP SIX: Make the croutons. In a small mixing bowl, toss the cubed bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the bread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes, or until very lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside.

STEP SEVEN: Begin assembling the soup. Into a large saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are softened.

STEP EIGHT: Add the eggplant and cook for 1 minute.

STEP NINE: Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.

STEP TEN: Add the vegan chicken-style broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

STEP ELEVEN: Using a handheld immersion blender, or working in batches with a countertop blender, puree the soup until its consistency is smooth.

STEP TWELVE: Stir in the oat milk and butter. When the butter has melted, let the soup simmer for 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP THIRTEEN: Serve. Ladle into soup bowls then sprinkle with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Serve hot.