Inspired by the flavors of Provence this rustic Provençal vegetable soup is packed with some of the region's best vegetables.
With summer coming to an end and the official start of fall just around the corner, I find myself once again in that limbo period. It’s that predictable time of year when pumpkin and spice starts popping up everywhere while I’m still scrambling to make the best of the last days of summer.
So before we all get buried under the inevitable onslaught of pumpkin everything, and are relegated to cool weather staples like winter squash and root vegetables for a while, let’s take a moment to enjoy those last late summer/early fall vegetables with a bowl of Provençal vegetable soup .
The markets are still overflowing with produce and making a Provençal inspired soup is perhaps the easiest and most comforting way to put them to good use. A soup might at first seem like an unusual choice given the lingering heat, but it’s awfully good now that the evenings are getting cooler and it needn’t be served piping hot, and is actually quite good served chilled as well.
The soup itself is inspired by the flavors of Provence; there are tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, fennel and olives all married together with a generous amount of olive oil, garlic and herbs. I just love this flavorful combination of vegetables reminiscent of a ratatouille but in soup form and without all the sautéing that’s usually involved. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Eggplant – You’ll need about 1/ 2 a medium eggplant cubed.
- Zucchini – Choose medium-sized zucchini.
- Fennel – Choose a small to medium fennel bulb.
- Tomatoes – You’ll need both fresh vine ripened tomatoes and strained tomatoes for the soup.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.
- Herbs – We’re using herbes de Provence to flavor the soup.
- Garlic – You’ll need some finely grated garlic.
- Harissa (optional) - A teaspoon of harissa paste brings a little heat and great depth of flavor to the soup.
How to Make Provencal Vegetable Soup:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- The vegetables are tossed together with the olive oil, garlic and herbs, and then roasted in the oven. By roasting them first you end up with vegetables that are tender and slightly caramelized around the edges and better maintain their shape, flavor and color in the soup.
- Once roasted the vegetables are then briefly simmered together in the seasoned tomato broth.
- Ladle the warm soup into bowls and you are ready to serve!
It’s a rustic sort of soup and like most soups is even tastier the next day, so go ahead and make a big batch for the week.
More Recipes from Provence:
Provencal Vegetable Soup
Inspired by the flavors of Provence this rustic Provençal tomato vegetable soup is packed with some of the region’s best vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ Tablespoons/37ml extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 2 small garlic cloves, grated on a microplane (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (divided use)
- ⅛th teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/ 2 a medium eggplant, cubed
- 2 small zucchini, cubed
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 large vine ripened or heirloom tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
- 1 teaspoon harissa paste (optional)
- 10oz/300ml strained tomatoes
- 10oz/300ml filtered water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil, herbes de Provence, 1 clove of garlic, ½ teaspoon of sea salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl toss eggplant, zucchini and fennel with ⅔rds of the herbed oil and spread on parchment lined sheet. Brush tomatoes with remaining ⅓rd of herbed oil and place cut side up on baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing chopped vegetables occasionally.
- When the vegetables are done, remove baking sheet from oven and flip tomatoes over. Using a pair of tongs, carefully remove the skin from the tomatoes and coarsely chop.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add remaining, garlic clove, ½ tsp salt and harissa paste (if using); cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute until extremely fragrant. Add roasted vegetables, strained tomatoes and filtered water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve.
Notes
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 370mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 7gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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