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.Do serve with a crusty bread!
6cupsbrothI 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.