Eggplant Supper Soup with Ground Beef and Pasta

by Nancy

This eggplant supper soup with ground beef and pasta recipe is a keeper.

The first time I had this soup was at a friend’s house for dinner.

She served it as the main dish, and it was so delicious that I absolutely had to get the recipe from her that same evening.

I’ve made a few changes to the recipe since then and it’s now one of my go-to recipes.

When I first tried this soup, I just couldn’t believe that it was made with eggplant because I couldn’t see any eggplant in the soup.

The diced eggplant actually turns translucent and adds such a nice texture to the soup.

This supper soup is hearty and tastes just like comfort food.

And leftovers warm up great in the microwave too.

This soup makes a wonderful gift for friends and family.

One of my friends was sick with a cold so I made a pot of this soup, and brought her the soup, pot and all.

She of course didn’t feel like cooking and said she enjoyed the soup for lunch and dinner for a number of days.

About Serving

Regarding the Timing of Serving this Soup – This soup has salad macaroni (diti pasta) in it which is the last ingredient added to the soup.

The macaroni pasta tastes best when it’s cooked al-dente (firm) so when making this soup, don’t add the macaroni until 25 minutes before serving it.

Otherwise, the pasta will continue to cook and turn soft if its left in the pot to simmer further.

To stretch the recipe for additional servings, just add more chopped celery, carrots, and salad macaroni.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Eggplant, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lean ground beef, butter, olive oil, beef broth, canned diced tomatoes, salad macaroni (diti pasta), fresh parsley (curly or Italian), water, salt and pepper

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the Onion and Garlic:

For the Onion, Garlic and Ground Beef – chop the onion…

…peel and chop garlic.

Set aside for just a moment.

In a large pot, add olive oil and butter.

Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic.

Sauté the onion and garlic for about 4 minutes.

Stir as the onion and garlic cooks.

For the Ground Beef:

To the pot, add lean ground beef and mix it in with the onions and garlic.

As the ground beef cooks, stir and break it apart so there aren’t any big pieces or chunks of ground beef.

TIP – If the ground beef you’re using isn’t lean, cook the beef in a separate skillet.

After it’s thoroughly cooked, turn the heat off and transfer the ground beef mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.

For the Soup – transfer the ground beef mixture from the plate back into the pot.

If the ground beef is cooked separately, after transferring it on the paper towel lined-plate, transfer it back to the pot with the onions and garlic.

For the Eggplant:

While the ground beef is cooking, peel the eggplant.

Peeling the eggplant is optional, the skin can be left on if preferred.

Next,

…dice the eggplant into about 1-inch squares.

Set aside.

For the Soup Ingredients:

Turn the heat (for the soup pot with the ground beef mixture) back on to medium heat.

To the pot, add carrots, celery…

…canned diced tomatoes (an option is to first put the canned tomatoes in a big bowl and with clean hands, squeeze the tomatoes so that they are not in chunks)…

…beef broth…

…water…

…salt…

…pepper,

and the cubed eggplant.

Stir.

Simmer the soup on low heat for 40 minutes or until the eggplant turns translucent.

Then add the dry pasta and…

…chopped parsley.

Continue to simmer on low heat for 30 more minutes or…

until the macaroni pasta is cooked al dente (firm).

TIP – The macaroni pasta tastes best when it’s cooked al-denti (firm) so don’t add the macaroni until 25 minutes before serving this soup.

Otherwise, the pasta will continue to cook and turn soft if its left in the pot to simmer further.

Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.

Salt really brings out the flavor in this soup.

For Serving:

Serve warm and top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese and…

…chopped fresh parsley.

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Eggplant Supper Soup with Ground Beef and Pasta

This eggplant supper soup with ground beef and pasta recipe is a keeper.

5 from 3 votes

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Yield: 8 Servings

Prep: 15

Cook: 1 25

Total: 1 40

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (salted)
1 large onion (white or yellow) peeled and chopped
1 large clove garlic peeled and chopped
1-1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup chopped carrots*
1 cup chopped celery*
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) cut tomatoes
1 carton (32 ounces) beef broth
4 cups water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 teaspoons salt or salt to taste
1 medium size eggplant peeled (optional) and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup uncooked salad (diti pasta) macaroni*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley curly parsley or Italian parsley; for the topping
2 tablespoons (heaping) grated Parmesan cheese for the topping
*More can be used to stretch the servings; just add an extra cup of broth.

* More can be used to stretch the servings; just add an extra cup of broth.

Instructions

For the Ground Beef, Onion and Garlic - In a large pot, add olive oil and butter. Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic.
Sauté the onion and garlic for about 4 minutes.
To the pot, add lean ground beef and mix it in with the onions and garlic. (If your ground beef has a bit more fat in it than the lean does, cook the beef in a separate skillet).
As the ground beef cooks, stir and break it apart so there aren't any big pieces or chunks of ground beef.
After it’s thoroughly cooked, turn the heat off and transfer the ground beef mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
Then transfer the ground beef mixture from the plate back into the pot.
If the ground beef is cooked separately, after transferring it on the paper towel lined-plate, transfer it back to the pot with the onions and garlic.
For the Soup - Turn the heat (for the soup pot) back on to medium heat. To the pot with the ground beef mixture, add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, beef broth, water, pepper, salt, and cubed eggplant. Stir.
Simmer the soup on low heat for 40 minutes or until the eggplant turns translucent.
Then add the dry pasta* and chopped parsley.
*The macaroni pasta tastes best when it's cooked al-denti (firm) so when making this soup, don't add the macaroni in it until 25 minutes before serving time.
Otherwise, the pasta will continue to cook and turn soft if it's left in the pot to simmer further.
Continue to simmer on low heat for 30 more minutes or until the macaroni pasta is cooked al dente (firm).
Do a taste test and add more salt if needed. Salt really brings out the flavor in this soup.
Serve right away (before the pasta cooks further) while warm and top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

TIPS:

If the ground beef you're using isn't lean, cook the beef in a separate skillet.
Regarding the Timing of Serving this Soup - The macaroni pasta in this soup which is added at the end tastes best when it's cooked al-denti (firm). So when making this soup, don't add the macaroni in the soup until 25 minutes before serving it. Otherwise, the pasta will continue to cook and turn soft if its left in the pot to simmer further.

Author: Nancy@CouponClippingCook

Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Eggplant Soup