Creamy Eggplant Soup

I received 4 eggplants in my vegetable box and I had no idea what I was going to do with them.  I wasn't sure if I really liked eggplant very much.  I decided to do a search on Pinterest to see if I could find any recipes for eggplant.  Here is the link for the recipe from  Deliciously Organic.  I made a few changes to the recipe.  This is also an approved soup for HCG Diet Phase 3.

1 (32-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained - I actually used diced tomates

1 tablespoon Stevia - I forgot this part & it still tasted delish

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into large pieces

1 small onion, quartered

6 cloves garlic, not peeled - I peeled mine

1 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated - I omitted the cheese on accident. It also made the recipe a lot less calories

basil, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. I put the 9x13 pan on the bottom shelf of the oven.  I poured all the tomatoes on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, layered the eggplant,  onion & garlic over the tomatoes. If you were going to use the sugar you should sprinkle it at this point over everything.I drizzled the olive oil over the eggplant and onions.  Season everything with salt & pepper.  Toast the veggies for 45 minutes. When the veggies have roasted for 45 minutes, take them out of the over & put them in a large stock pot. Pour in the chicken broth and thyme.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes until veggies are super tender. Place all the veggies in a blender along with the milk and puree.  Garnish with parmesan cheese, thyme & basil. 

If you leave out the cheese each 1 cup serving is 75 calories. I love this recipe because you just let it could & you don't have watch it continuously.