Yeah, so remember how I said all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a blanket? Apparently it’s not because it’s fall… it’s because I’m sick! Ugh. I have a terrible cold – the worst one I’ve had in years. Three of the last four meals I’ve eaten have been soup. Luckily, I have a big pot of this roasted eggplant and lentil soup in the fridge, so all I have to do is heat it up (which is about all I have the energy for right now).
This soup is just want I need though. It’s rich, earthy, and slightly spicy, with a subtle Middle Eastern flavor from roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and ras el hanout. A dollop of coconut yogurt finishes it off and balances out the spiciness.
Also? It’s incredibly good. Like “Shawn was rambling on and on about his day and had to stop mid-sentence to tell me how good it was” good. (Does that make me sound lie a grouch? Whatever I’m sick. It’s allowed.)
I’ve been exploring some of the different yogurt options lately after discovering that the brand I thought I liked best really wasn’t that great compared to others. I’m still in the process of deciding what my favorite is (and I have a feeling that I might have different favorites for different flavors) but this time I used Yoplait Greek and I liked it a lot (disclosure, they paid me to create this recipe).
Some coconut yogurts taste really artificial (like coconut flavoring) or too much like a pina colada. This one actually reminds me of the flavor of shredded coconut, which I love and it’s not overly sweet, so it worked in this savory dish. It also has a great, creamy texture and a peek at the ingredients list showed that there’s no gelatin in it which makes me really happy (gelatin in yogurt is a huge pet peeve of mine!) I can’t wait to give the tangerine flavor a try – how amazing does that sound?
Ingredients
- 2 small eggplants quartered
- 3 plum tomatoes quartered
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 leek sliced
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups water
- 1 ½ cups lentils
- 2 tablespoons ras el hanout
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 1 container Yoplait Greek blended coconut yogurt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450ºF. Arrange the eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast 20 minutes or until very tender. Scoop the pulp out of the eggplant and discard the peel. Chop the tomatoes and garlic to form a chunky sauce.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the carrot, leek and celery and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the chicken stock, water, lentils, and ras el hanout. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir in the eggplant, chopped tomatoes and lemon juice and cook an additional 10 minutes. Stir in parsley. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve soup topped with a generous dollop of coconut yogurt (or just stir it right into the whole pot).
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Yoplait.
I tried this for the first time tonight and liked it very much. Next time I will roast the eggplant over fire/oven whole because it makes the inside so much softer, and I will add another eggplant because with two the taste is almost lost.
I added on 1/2 lemon and also just a tad of sugar at the end (maybe 1/4 tsp) to bring out the tomato flavor and balance the acidity. Next time I think I will only half the tomatoes and scoop out the inside (just like with the eggplant) because the skin does nothing for me in the soup.
I didn’t have chicken broth and used bone broth instead and it was delish.
Instead of raz al hanut aI think that limiting it to these spices would work very well too (I am not 100% a fan of the cinnamon in it, love it on chicken but not in the soup) – cumin, clove, nutmeg, dry ginger, coriander, sweet and hot paprika and turmeric.
I tried it first with no lemon, to taste for salt. And then added lemon. I don’t like it with lemon. It kills all the flavor.
Next time i will skip lemon.
I only added the juice of 1/2 lemon and it was very nice. And 1/4 tsp of sugar to take away from the acid taste and to bring out the tomato flavor. Just a suggestion :).
I made this recipe for the first time today since I bought some eggplant at the local farmers market. I made my own spice mixture and it came out more of a stew than a soup. It is really delicious and look forward to eating it for dinner tonight.
I’m so glad you liked it! Depending on how high the heat is while you simmer it and how much broth the lentils soak up, the soup can get pretty thick. You can always add more broth to thin it back out if you prefer!
I just found your blog when I was googling soups to make with an eggplant from our garden, and I made this recipe last night and it was SO good! I used red lentils, only one eggplant, subbed tomato paste for the tomatoes, used veggie broth and took an immersion blender to it, and it was AMAZING! Especially the spicing, so thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Aww I hope you feel better!! These flavors are totally my favorite. Need to try that kind of Greek yogurt! It’s somehow escaped my attention thus far…
Okay, totally love this, Lauren. There is no end for my love of eggplant!
Thanks! I’m a huge fan of eggplant too. 🙂