Roasted Eggplant & Kale Soup
For a quick but hearty, deeply flavored vegetarian soup, we combined the meaty taste of eggplant with a potent combination of spices: cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, and Aleppo pepper. We diced the eggplant and browned it before setting it aside. Adding more oil to the Dutch oven, we bloomed the spices, garlic, and ginger in it.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1¼ pounds eggplant cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground dried Aleppo pepper divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups water
- 2 ounces 2 cups baby kale, chopped coarse
- ½ cup whole Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds toasted
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and deeply browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Combine garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and garlic mixture to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in kale and eggplant along with any accumulated juices. Let sit until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dollop each portion with 2 tablespoons yogurt and sprinkle evenly with almonds, cilantro, and remaining ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper before serving.