A hearty soup excellent on those cold nights! The roasted eggplant and Royal Corona beans pair so well! You could use other beans, such as Gigantes, Scarlet Runners, or Christmas Limas.
Last night Colorado got hit by the "Cyclone Bomb" of 2022 that eventually covered most of the United States. We had spent the day prepping the residents of Doolittle for the -30 degree wind chill and really felt it as the temperatures dropped as the sun went down.
What do you need on a super cold night??? Soup!!!
I had gotten some large eggplants at the store the day before and the thought of eggplant soup sounded so good. I got some Royal Corona beans soaking in the morning. If you have never had Royal Corona beans, you should run over to Rancho Gordo and order some immediately! They have a wonderful nutty flavor and a very firm texture.
Make sure you make the broth with the pot liquor from cooking the beans. It really gives a lot of body to the soup.
I do suggest you soak the beans if you have time. Soaking removes phytic acid from the beans, an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of important nutrients. It also removes raffinose, a sugar that causes stomach discomfort and discomfort to those around you! If you soak, pour off the soaking water and rinse the beans before cooking them in new water.
Related
Looking for other soup recipes? Try these!
Recipe
Eggplant Soup with Beans
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Royal Corona beans or other bean choice
- 8 cups eggplant diced
- 29 oz tomatoes diced
- 8 cups chard rainbow, or any other green, chopped
- 1 cup Italian parsley chopped
- 2 jalapeños large, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely diced
- 6 cups broth I used the pot liquor from cooking the beans and 2 tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon veggie stock
Instructions
- If you are going to soak, start the beans soaking either the night before, or the morning where you are going to make the soup. Pour off the soaking liquid, rinse the beans, and add more.
- Cook the beans in around 6 cups of water in an Instant Pot to cook them the fastest. I cooked them for 30 minutes with 10 minutes at pressure after they cooked before releasing the pressure. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can cook them on the stove, at the moment I cannot guess how long it will take to cook them. When the beans are done, reserve 6 cups of the pot liquor. If you don't have 6 cups, add water to take it to 6 cups.
- Dice the eggplant. Peel if you like, though I like eating the peel. If you chose to, you can sprinkle salt on the cubes and let them sit for 20 minutes. This will remove any bitter flavor from the eggplant. I like that flavor, so leave this step out. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat the eggplant with oil and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 50 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the eggplant from burning, until the eggplant is soft and browned.
- Put a small amount of oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic and cook until slightly browned. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
Raelene says
This is going into my January meal rotation. Costco has these gorgeous "tie dye" eggplants that would be perfect for this. Thanks for the inspiration!
Lynne Murray says
I made this today with different beans, Rancho Gordo Ayocote Blanco Beans and no jalapeno as my husband can't eat that spice. It is wonderful and a keeper of a recipe!
Keith says
Glad you enjoyed it! I bet it was great with the Ayacote Blancos! I was considering the Morados when I made it, but decided I wanted something heftier.