Description
Earthy and flavorful, this roasted eggplant lentil soup is surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for a summer evening!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs (907 g) eggplants
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cups (237 ml) Red Chief lentils
- 12 sage leaves
- 2 cups (473 ml) vegetable stock
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (204°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; stir in olive oil.
- Cut eggplants in half and brush with olive oil spice mixture.
- Place eggplant halves on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and tops are golden brown.
- While eggplants are baking, cook the lentils.
- Place lentils in a soup pot and cover with about 2 inches of water.
- Add 2 sage leaves and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain the lentils, reserving a small amount of cooking water; remove sage leaves.
- Place lentils with reserved water and 1 cup of vegetable stock in a blender and puree until smooth; return to the cooking pot.
- Scrape out the soft eggplant flesh and place in a blender with 1 cup of vegetable stock; blend until smooth and stir into the cooking pot with the lentil puree.
- Bring to a simmer and check seasonings.
- In a small skillet, heat enough olive oil to fry the sage leaves; cook about 30 seconds per side, or until crisp.
- Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fried sage leaves, and serve.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, roast the eggplant until deeply caramelized, even slightly charred.
- If you don’t have red chief lentils, brown or green lentils will work well as a substitute. Adjust cooking time as needed.
- Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and tastes even better the next day!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 10
- Protein: 15