Ratatouille Soup with Eggplant and Zucchini
By Emma Collins
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Total
60 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Ratatouille soup makes six servings. I make it ahead of time for meals I want to serve as a side dish with other foods at different times. Eggplant and zucchini in the soup become tender in the tomato broth. A short blending period near the end of cooking adds pieces of vegetables to the soup (my favorite feature of this soup).
I use a big Dutch oven. You can sauté your vegetables before adding the broth. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes. Sauté garlic for a full minute. Your vegetables need about 10 minutes in the pot to soften and brown slightly.
After cooking the soup for 30 minutes, I take out the rosemary and bay leaf before blending. I blend the soup for a short time using an immersion blender to leave some solids in the finished soup. You can blend the soup in a regular blender, but blend only one or two cups at a time and add the blended soup back to the pot.
For a smokier-tasting soup, use fire-roasted tomatoes in place of crushed tomatoes. You can substitute fresh thyme for dried thyme, using 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves. Top servings of soup with fresh basil and olive oil. Provide optional sliced bread on the side for dipping, along with the soup, because I like to eat soup.
Why this recipe works
- A six-serve pot will provide multiple meals' worth of vegetables in one batch.
- All ingredients, including onions, are cooked in the same Dutch oven.
- The soup is thick enough to serve as a course but not entirely smooth.
- It freezes well in containers. Save some for later use.
- Gently warming leftover soup on the stove is one way to reheat soup without using extra dishes.
Ingredients
- •2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- •1 yellow onion (large, chopped)
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 eggplant (medium, cut into 1-inch cubes)
- •2 zucchini (medium, cut into 1-inch cubes)
- •1 red bell pepper (chopped)
- •1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
- •4 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium)
- •1 tsp dried thyme
- •1 sprig fresh rosemary
- •1 bay leaf
- •1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
- •½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
- •¼ cup fresh basil (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until softened.
- 3
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- 4
Add the eggplant, zucchini, and red bell pepper, then sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- 5
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth.
- 6
Add the dried thyme, rosemary sprig, bay leaf, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- 7
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- 8
Remove the pot from the heat and discard the rosemary sprig and bay leaf.
- 9
Pulse the soup a few times with an immersion blender, leaving some chunks for texture.
- 10
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
- 11
Serve hot with chopped fresh basil.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
155
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