Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup blends simple ingredients creating a flavourful, creamy, dairy free soup. Garnish with croutons, smaller pieces of roasted cauliflower, nuts and seeds, fresh herbs, chili oil or Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

I’ve been making this soup for a couple of years. It was a clean out the fridge day and I had an entire head of cauliflower needing to be used, and not much else. Fortunately the pantry is usually stocked with onions, garlic and potatoes.

Since I like to roast cauliflower with chick peas for a light lunch on occasion, I decided to turn cauliflower into soup.

Roasting party in oven becomes soup on stove

Once the veggies are tossed with oil, salt and pepper, they can all be roasted together. The potato is added into the pot with the stock as the starch from the potato will help to thicken the soup once it’s been blended.

To blend the soup I use an Immersion Blender as it comes together easily and is less clean up. You can also use a counter top blender, just ensure you only fill the blender to the fill line or less. Put a towel on top and hold lid when you start it. Start low and slow then gradually up the speed until the soup is pureed.

Diet Preferences and Garnishes

1. Keep this soup dairy free by omitting any cheese.
2. Keep gluten free by not adding croutons.
3. Keep vegan by using vegan stock and no cheese.

Garnishes: I need to write a post on soup garnishes! I have been fortunate enough to try so many different kinds of soups while dining out that have an assortment of unique garnishes on top when served.

For this simple soup you can add a lot of flavour to it through garnishes. A few of our favourites include:

• Pesto drizzle
• Chili oil, chili crunch or flakes
• Roasted, chopped nuts
• Fresh herbs
• Grated Parmeson or Asiago (my favorite) cheese
• Roasted cauliflower or broccoli

TIPS & TRICKS

• Use the whole head of cauliflower including the leaves if they look fresh.
• Yellow potatoes provide a nice creamy texture.
• Stock adds additional flavour, although you can use water.
• You don’t have to roast the cauliflower, but it does add more flavour to the soup.
• The flavours are simple, to spice it up a notch or two add a spoonful of curry paste when it all goes into the pot.

If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram, hashtag #bakersbeans and please leave a comment below!

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

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Course: dinner, lunch, side, Soup

Servings: 4

Author: Wanda Baker

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups cauliflower, chopped approximately 1 head
• 1 head of garlic separated and peeled
• 2 shallots peeled and cut in half
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
• 2 bay leaves
• Parmesan rind
• 5 cups stock
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Hot pepper flakes, chili oil or crunch, pesto, grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Place cauliflower, garlic cloves and shallots on rimmed baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden on all sides.
• Remove from oven and pour into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add potato, thyme, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked through.
• Remove the thyme and bay leaf. Using a hand-held blender, or food processor, blitz the soup until smooth. I run it through a sieve, return to the pan and warm. Pour in lemon juice, taste and season as needed.
• Pour into serving bowls and top with croutons and a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes.

Notes

Serves four as a main meal.