When the weather is cold, I crave two things:
- Soup.
- Roasted stuff.
So I was pretty psyched today when Joe made me a roasted eggplant and chickpea soup for dinner. What?!
This recipe is from what I like to call Martha Stewart's "weeknight magazine" -- Everyday Food. They did a whole feature on roasted soups, but I immediately flagged this one for immediate preparation. I'm glad I did, since it's really delicious. Roasting the veggies gives it a nice full flavor, and a swirl of yogurt adds just the right amount of tang. A sprinkle of fragrant fresh oregano tops it all off.
Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup
- 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, diced medium
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Fresh oregano
- Plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, toss together eggplants, onion, garlic, and 4 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, leaving a wide strip of empty space at one end. In the bowl, toss chickpeas with 2 teaspoons oil. Transfer to empty space on sheet. Roast until eggplant is golden and cooked through and chickpeas are slightly crunchy, about 35 minutes.
