Roasted Aubergine and Lentil Soup

It was one of those situations, where I didn’t have a lot in the fridge and had to ‘jazz it up’ as I went along. I had one aubergine and just few cupboard basics. I never thought of adding aubergine to any of my soups before. “What a mistake-a to make-a”!  It works perfectly in a soup. I actually prefer it to potato. This soup is rich, earthy, with a subtle hint of spice, a good helping of garlic and gentle Mediterranean aromas. You can adjust the spice level by adding less/more chilli of course. The soup goes very well with these stout & honey buns.
Roasted Aubergine and Lentil soup
3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 aubergine, cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

1-2 carrots, depends on size, chopped

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of herbs of your choice (I had oregano)

1 teaspoon of paprika

pinch of sugar

1 cup of puy lentil

2 cans chopped tomatoes in its own juice or about 500gr fresh tomatoes, chopped

approx 3-4 cups of water/stock, depends how thick you like your soup to be.

2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar (optional)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced

1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

salt and pepper to taste
parsley/seeds to garnish (optional)
1. Heat oven to 200C. Arrange the cubed aubergine in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil, mix well and roast for about 20 minutes or until tender and nicely brown.
2. Preheat the rest of the oil in a cooking pot, add onion and carrots and cook them for 5-7 minutes.
3. Then add the spices, herbs, sugar, lentil, tomatoes, water/stock. Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat, cover with the lead and cook it until the lentil is cooked.
4. When the lentil is cooked and tender, add the roasted aubergine to the soup, along with red wine vinegar, garlic and chilli. Season well with salt and pepper.

Ethiopian-inspired Lentil Soup

Lately I felt a bit under the weather. Our office at work is a hive of stinky cold germs at the moment, with every other person being sick,  it’s hard to stay untouched by the seasonal bug. I’m trying to fight it in my own way, hot baths, plenty of liquids (whiskey & Hot Toddy counts too) and also some nourishing soups. This was one of them, super easy to prepare, full of spices and with a kick of ginger.

I used canned green lentil this time, because I needed to eat something quickly. Alternatively you can use a dry lentil of your choice and just cook it longer.

Ethiopian-inspired Lentil Soup


(Adapted from The Kitchn)


1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

 1/4 teaspoon pepper
 1 green chilli, de-seeded, finely chopped
 2-3 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
 4 cloves of garlic
2 cans of green/puy lentil

2 stock cubes (veggie or chicken, whatever you prefer)

about 2 litres of water

about 200g baby spinach

juice of one lemon, plus more lemon wedges for serving


  1. Sauté the onion in a pan until it starts to brown.
  2. Add all the spices, cook it for  2-3 minutes, then add chilli, ginger and garlic, stir and sauté for a further minute.
  3. Add the lentil, stock cubes, water, bring up to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for further few minutes.
  4. Then add the spinach and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
  5. Add lemon juice, check for seasoning and serve with extra lemon wedges, if you like.