Ratatouille Soup

By davidv

"Ratatouille is already a comforting dish. But we made it soul-warming by turning it into a hot, hearty soup." - David's Note Tip: This soup freezes beautifully. Next summer, when you're swimming in fresh vegetables, double the recipe and freeze it for later.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cups medium-diced onion
• 3 cups medium-diced red pepper
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper, divided
• 5 cups medium-diced eggplant
• 5 cups medium-diced zucchini
• 3 (14.5-oz) cans stewed tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 quart vegetable stock

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from qvc.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a 4- or 5-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and sauté until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Add the eggplant and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and sauté until it begins to soften, another 5 minutes.

Remove about 3 cups of the sautéed vegetables from the stock pot and set them aside to cool. Add the stewed tomatoes, cannellini beans, vegetable stock, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring the mixture up to a simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

In a blender, being careful with the hot liquid, purée the vegetables in batches. Start on low and slowly increase the speed until you have a smooth soup. Place the puréed soup into another large stock pot, add the reserved sautéed vegetables, and bring the soup up to a simmer over medium heat until heated through.