Recipe Rewind 2019

This month on the blog we've been featuring some of our favorite recipes from 2019! This week we decided to reshare one of our most delicious eggplant dishes from this past year. It's the perfect use for that imperfect eggplant you may have received today! It's our Eggplant Parmesan Soup! We sauté soup veggies like celery and carrots, then add in zucchini, roasted eggplant and our favorite marinara. Top it with a dollop of creamy ricotta and you've got your favorite Italian casserole in a bowl of quick and delicious soup. This soup is a perfect way to hide veggies! You can add anything you have on hand; extra tomatoes, spinach, even mushrooms. I'm planning to make it on Christmas Eve to accompany some other Italian favorites I traditionally cook up.

Let's Dig In!

Eggplant Parmesan Soup Serves 4-6

Ingredients 2 Perfectly Imperfect eggplant 1 small Perfectly Imperfect onion, diced 2 Perfectly Imperfect carrots, diced 2 stalks Perfectly Imperfect celery, diced 1 small Perfectly Imperfect zucchini, diced 1 T garlic, powder, or fresh minced 1 T dried oregano 4 cups crushed tomatoes or favorite marinara sauce 4 cups water 1 T olive oil

Ricotta topping 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 T fresh parsley 1 T fresh basil 1 T olive oil 1 tsp salt

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut eggplant in half and place on sheet tray or baking dish and roast for 35 minutes, until soft and tender. Let cool slightly. 2. While eggplant is roasting, sauté chopped onion, carrots, celery and zucchini in olive oil. Cook over medium until browned and softened. Turn the heat to low and stir in garlic and oregano. Add 4 cups of water and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, that's where the hidden flavor is! 3. When eggplant is cool to the touch, peel skin away from the insides and chop. Add to the pot and add the 4 cups of remaining tomato puree. 4. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Mix ricotta topping ingredients together and when ready to serve, scoop a dollop onto each bowl. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad. Enjoy!

We hope you'll try this delicious and simple recipe! Don't forget to show us what you're cooking up in your own kitchen over the holidays! Tag us @perfectlyimperfectproduce on Facebook and Instagram! We have some exciting plans in place for our recipes for 2020! More updates coming very soon! Happy Holidays PIP Family!