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Delicious and creamy Eggplant Soup has a signature meatless-meatiness from the hearty vegetable itself. Sautéed eggplant is simmered with aromatics, herbs and tomato in a vegetable broth then finished with a touch of cream and pureed until smooth. Ready in less than one hour, it was an instant family favorite!
Soup is a definitely a year-round endeavor for me. Of course, it holds a special place in the deep, dark days of winter. But, quite honestly, a cozy, nourishing bowl of piping hot soup hits the spot all the time.
This easy, Italian-style Eggplant Soup recipe was inspired by my end-of-season, backyard garden harvest of Italian eggplant and Lucilla eggplant varieties, but any type of eggplant will work. It’s a naturally gluten-free and vegetarian soup recipe that’s hearty, filling and super-comforting.
Plus, there’s no roasting required! Unlike many other eggplant soups, this recipe can be made in just one pot, while still showcasing the amazing deep, earthy flavor that makes eggplants so versatile to work with.
Any way you prepare eggplant, it always seems to deliver on both flavor and texture and this creamy eggplant soup is no exception. Enjoy it on its own or topped with some extra virgin olive oil and grated pecorino cheese along with some crusty Italian bread for a cozy night in. Mangia bene!
More recipes with eggplant: Italian-Style Grilled Eggplant, Stuffed Italian Eggplant, Eggplant Meatballs (without Meat), Fried Eggplant Cutlets, Roasted Eggplant with Crispy Garlic and Herbs, Sicilian Caponata Relish, Sicilian-Style Stuffed Eggplant and Bucatini with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Ricotta.
Ingredients
We’ll need the following ingredients for this creamy eggplant soup recipe:
- Eggplant: Any variety of eggplant can be used in this easy eggplant soup recipe. Select eggplants that have a slightly firm, but not hard, texture and that feel dense and heavy for their size with shiny, smooth, blemish-free skin. Avoid eggplant with wrinkled skin that feel soft as they may be old and/or taste bitter. If you’re able to puncture the eggplant skin, then it is too far gone.
- Broth: Use a no- or low-sodium vegetable broth if at all possible. It’s always best to add salt yourself to tase. Many purchased broths have very high sodium levels. You can also use chicken stock.
- Onion, Garlic and Basil: Important aromatics and base flavor for the soup. If you happen to have either roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves on hand, add some to the soup for extra savoriness. But, it’s not necessary to make them especially for this recipe.
- Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: Adds umami (savoriness) and a depth of flavor to the soup.
- Heavy Cream: Adds the signature creaminess factor in this cream of eggplant soup.
- Olive Oil: Use to sauté all the vegetables. Drizzling some high-quality, extra virgin olive oil over the finished soup is a great finishing idea!
How to Make Creamy Eggplant Soup
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil in large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add half the eggplant and toss to coat. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes until some caramelization is achieved, stirring regularly to prevent burning and sticking. Then remove eggplant and repeat with 2 more Tbsp oil and the rest of the eggplant.
- PRO-TIP: The oil will get quickly absorbed by each batch of eggplant. Also, you only need some caramelization on some of the eggplant, not every side or piece.)
- Once the second batch of eggplant is removed from the pot, add the remaining 2 Tbsp oil along with the onion, basil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and cover, cooking 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables have mostly softened, stirring a couple times.
- Move onion mixture to one side of pot. Add tomato paste and cook it for about 1 minute, then stir it with the rest of the vegetables.
- Add 2 cups broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot. Then, add remaining broth, tomatoes, salt, ground black pepper, roasted garlic/garlic confit if including and the reserved eggplant.
- Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is completely tender, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the cream and turn off the heat. Carefully puree the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender.
- Turn heat back on for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve while hot. I love to add a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese, chopped basil and sometimes a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice to this soup, but that’s completely up to you. That’s it!
For more soup recipes, check out my cookbook, SOUPified, Soups Inspired by Your Favorite Dishes, which is filled with hearty soup versions of classic, comfort food recipes, such as Chinese Egg Roll Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Soup , Stuffed Pepper Soup and Eggplant Parm Soup.
More Delicious Soup Dishes
Frequently Asked Questions
Leaving the skin on eggplant is a personal choice. While eggplant skin is edible and nutrient-rich, sometimes it can be tough and/or bitter. I peeled the eggplant for this eggplant tomato soup recipe.
Unless you are using old eggplant that have been stored for too long, no, you do not need to salt the eggplant. I realize this may be a controversial reply, since so many people swear by salting eggplants to remove its bitterness. The reality is that, over the years, farmers have bred out much of eggplants’ signature bitterness, rendering salting unnecessary. Having said this, click here for great information about salting eggplants.
Also known as a hand blender or a hand-held blender, an immersion blender is indispensable for soup makers! You immerse it directly into a pot of liquid for puréeing soft ingredients. There’s no need to transfer a hot soup to a blender or food processor and risk spills, burns, and messes.
A few tips when using an immersion blender include:
– It’s best to turn the heat off before using it. It can be turned back on when you’re done.
– Immerse the blender in the liquid before turning it on.
– Keep it moving for best results and do not hold it steady in one place. Immersion blenders do their best work when moved around and tilted while blending. This helps the blender to pick up all ingredients and purée evenly.
– Some people prefer to let hot dishes cool completely before blending (due to the fear of occasional hot splatters). This is up to you, but I promise that your comfort blending with the immersion blender will grow with each use.
Yes. If you don’t have access to an immersion blender and still want to make this eggplant soup recipe, you can! Just cool the soup a bit first, and then carefully ladle a few cups of soup at a time into a blender or food processor and blend. Be sure to work in small batches (in other words, fill the appliance only halfway) to keep the soup from splattering or exploding in the blender or food processor, and be sure the lid is firmly in place and secure before you power it on. I do not recommend removing the center of the lid when puréeing hot items.
TOP TIPS FOR EGGPLANT SOUP
- Choosing Eggplant: Select eggplants that have a slightly firm, but not hard, texture and that feel dense and heavy for their size with shiny, smooth, blemish-free skin. Avoid eggplant with wrinkled skin that feel soft as they may be old and/or taste bitter. If you’re able to puncture the eggplant skin, then it is too far gone.
- Want to Roast the Eggplant? If you prefer a roasted eggplant soup, there are instructions below to roast the eggplant. You can also roast the eggplant one to two days in advance and hold it, covered, in the refrigerator before adding to the soup.
- Recipe Substitutions or Variations:
- Make it Plant-Based and Lighter: Leave out the cream and you’ll have a lighter, vegan version of this soup and it will still be so delicious!
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika for a touch of smokiness to the soup’s flavor.
- Serving Suggestions: Creamy tomato eggplant soup is hearty and can be enjoyed on its own as your main meal or paired with a green salad or sandwich and some crusty bread. In a smaller portion, it makes a really nice first course. Don’t forget to drizzle it with some homemade spicy Italian chili oil for a little piccante!
- Storage: The soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Great Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
If you’ve tried Creamy Eggplant Soup (Aubergine Soup), please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Creamy One Pot Eggplant Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven (or Large Pot)
- Large pot (or Dutch OVen)
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3-3½ pounds eggplant cut into large chunks (peeling is optional)
- 2 cups rough chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 Tbsp rough chopped garlic
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 8 cups vegetable broth (low- or no-sodium preferred)
- 1 (14.5-ounces) can whole tomatoes (whole, diced or crushed)
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2-4 Tbsp roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves (optional if you have on hand)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Optional Garnish: chopped basil, extra-virgin olive oil drizzle, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. (Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half the eggplant and toss to coat. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes until some caramelization is achieved, stirring regularly to prevent burning and sticking. Then remove eggplant and repeat with 2 more Tbsp oil and the rest of the eggplant. (The oil will get quickly absorbed by each batch of eggplant. Also, you only need some caramelization on some of the eggplant, not every side or piece.)
- Once the second batch of eggplant is removed from the pot, add the remaining 2 Tbsp oil along with the onion, basil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and cover, cooking 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables have mostly softened, stirring a couple times.2 cups rough chopped yellow onion, 1 cup loosely-packed fresh basil leaves, 3-4 Tbsp rough chopped garlic, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Move onion mixture to one side of pot. Add tomato paste and cook it for about 1 minute, then stir it with the rest of the vegetables.¼ cup tomato paste
- Add 2 cups broth and stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.1 (14.5-ounces) can whole tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 2-4 Tbsp roasted garlic
- Then, add remaining broth, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, roasted garlic/garlic confit if including and the reserved eggplant. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is completely tender, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the cream and turn off the heat. Carefully puree the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender. See NOTES below for lots of information about using one if you never have before.½ cup heavy cream
- Turn heat back on for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. (See NOTES.)
- Serve while hot. I love to add a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese, chopped basil and sometimes a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice to this soup, but that’s completely up to you. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- This recipe makes about 16 cups soup. I figured on about 2 cups portion per serving, but adjust accordingly.
- You can easily cut this recipe in half for a smaller batch.
- Any variety of eggplant can be used in this recipe. Also, peeling the eggplant is optional and a personal choice. I peeled it for this recipe. No salting of the eggplant is required. See Frequently Asked Questions above for more about this.
- I sautéed the eggplant here to keep this a more streamlined one-pot recipe. However, if you prefer a creamy roasted eggplant soup, you can roast the eggplant instead. To roast it, place the cubed eggplant in a single layer on a lightly oil-sprayed, parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the eggplant with oil. Then, place the sheet pan on a rack in the lower third of a 425°F preheated oven. (Use the convection option if you have it.) Roast 15 minutes, then turn the sheet pan around and roast for 15 more minutes or until the eggplant are tender and caramelized. Remove eggplant from the oven and add to the soup pot. You can roast the eggplant one to two days in advance and hold it, covered, in the refrigerator before adding to the soup.
- This is a mildly-flavored soup. If you’d like to make the flavor a bit stronger, here are a couple ideas: add more fresh basil (chopped) at the end (either before or after puréeing) or sprinkle in some onion or garlic powder a little at a time to taste.
- The amount of salt that you’ll need depends on the salt level of the broth. It’s always best to use no- or low-sodium broths and stocks if possible so you have more control over the dish’s saltiness.
- In addition to (or instead of) the optional garnishes listed above, you can also add a small dollop of basil pesto right into each bowlful of soup.
- The soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Consider portioning extra soup into containers to enjoy down the road! Reheat it slowly over medium low heat while stirring, adding additional broth or water if needed.
- It’s best to turn the heat off before using it. It can be turned back on when you’re done.
- Immerse it in the liquid before turning it on.
- Keep it moving for best results and do not hold it steady in one place. Immersion blenders do their best work when moved around and tilted while blending. This helps the blender to pick up all ingredients and purée evenly.
- Some people prefer to let hot dishes cool completely before blending (due to the fear of occasional hot splatters). This is up to you, but I promise that your comfort blending with the immersion blender will grow with each use.
