Eggplant Parmesan Soup with Homemade Garlic Croutons

On cold  and snowy days, our stomachs yearn for sustenance in the form of hearty and delicious soups adorned with homemade garlic croutons.

Mine does, anyway… Eggplant Parmesan Soup to the rescue!

Back in April of 2009, Dom gave me the New England Soup Factory Cookbook as a gift for our 21st wedding anniversary. Lauren had just been accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston and Dom put together a sweet gift which included this book pertaining to New England cooking. With Luc going so far away, about a six hour car ride, he knew that this mama bear was going to need some TLC as her eldest would be entering a world far from home; exciting, but very far from home (did I mention that?). We’re talking a million miles away, okay, 350 (but still) she’d be dealing with all sorts of big city stuff that would be new for her. I mean, I was so worried that if someone asked her to deliver a paper bag to the bus station, she would do it. [Only those of you who love My Big Fat Greek Wedding as much as we do will understand that.] Thankfully, our girl fell in step rather profoundly without bags and bus stations getting in the way of her success. Boston quickly became her home, and along with a few adventurous turns on her post-college road by way of Brooklyn and LA, she’s back in the town where it all started. She loves it. We love it. And we’re always looking for an excuse to visit…

…like finding the restaurant that goes by our cookbook’s title…The New England Soup Factory. But until then –  this book, which contains more than 100 mouth-watering recipes, will definitely suffice.

With our first ‘huge’ cold and snowy day, recently, I had a big time craving for the kind of soup that comforts from the inside out. (<—–Have you seen that movie? Oh my.)

Luckily, I remembered this little beauty of a book set on the shelf between Camp Cooking in the Adirondacks and The North End Italian Cookbook. Then proceeded to spend very little time deciding which recipe I’d like to tackle.

I’m one of those people who almost always has a hankering for eggplant parm, and when I saw this recipe, I was done.

This soup has all the components of my beloved casserole but can be eaten with a spoon… and there’s no frying involved, which means —> healthy.

How awesome is that?

Stay warm, my friends!

Buon Appetito!

Eggplant Parmesan Soup with Homemade Garlic Croutons

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina

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Ingredients

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• Soup
• 2 large purple eggplants, about 1 lb. each
• 3 – 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
• 2 –3 ribs celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes
• 2 cups San Marzano puree (that peeled tomatoes are stewed in)
• 9 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• Garlic Croutons
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1-inch thick slices (around 15 slices)
• 2 – 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 grinds black pepper from a pepper mill
• 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups garlic crouton breadcrumbs

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Using a fork, prick each eggplant in several places.
3. Place on a roasting pan and in the oven.
4. Roast for 35 – 40 minutes, or until soft.
5. Remove from oven and let cool.
6. Peel back the skin and use a large spoon to remove all the pulp.
7. Discard the skin and chop pulp into small pieces. Set aside.
8. Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat.
9. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion and celery.
10. Sauté for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
11. Add the eggplant pulp, tomatoes, puree, vegetable stock, oregano and basil.
12. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 35 minutes.
13. While the soup is simmering prepare croutons.
14. Preheat oven to 350 F.
15. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
16. In a large mixing bowl toss the bread slices with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper until seasonings are evenly distributed.
17. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes until crunchy and hard.
18. remove from oven and let cool.
19. Once cool, place 6 croutons in the bowl of a food processor and process them into breadcrumbs. Set aside.
20. To finish the soup, add the cheese, stirring while it melts.
21. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper and stir well.
22. Stir in the garlic breadcrumbs.
23. Simmer an additional 5 to 7 minutes before serving.
24. Serve with a whole crouton on top of soup.

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{Recipe adapted from New England Soup Factory Cookbook.}

Ciao!