Roasted Cauliflower Soup with White Cheddar

A lighter version of cauliflower soup filled with roasted cauliflower and served with white cheddar cheese. This creamy and flavorful soup will appeal to the whole family – even those who think they don’t like cauliflower. It’s also easily made vegetarian and gluten-free.

Greetings, friends. How is your week going? Our weather has cooled down, and a few small storms have blown through. And you know what that means … Cool weather = comfort food! Today I’m bringing you a healthier twist on cauliflower cheese soup. Although it’s lightened up, it’s still filled with flavor. I’d even venture to say people who don’t like cauliflower will think again after trying this soup. It can also be made vegetarian and gluten-free!

The base of the soup is roasted cauliflower. This roasted cauliflower is slightly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and it has a subtle nutty flavor. Roasting vegetables intensifies their flavor and caramelizes the exterior. Roasted cauliflower is worlds away from the mushy boiled cauliflower that may have you thinking you don’t like cauliflower. Even my cauliflower-leery husband enjoyed several bowls of this soup!

This soup also gets its flavor from carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. One finely diced potato is added to help thicken it. A little cream and milk are added for a velvety texture, and each bowl of soup is served with a sprinkling of sharp white cheddar cheese.

This soup is hearty and comforting, yet still figure friendly. A big bowl of wholesome ingredients to warm you up from the inside out.

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5 from 1 vote

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup with White Cheddar

A lighter version of cauliflower soup filled with roasted cauliflower and served with white cheddar cheese. This creamy and flavorful soup will appeal to the whole family - even those who think they don't like cauliflower. It's also easily made vegetarian and gluten-free.

Course main, side, Soup

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Roasted cauliflower:

• 1 head cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium carrot finely diced
• 1 yellow onion finely diced
• 1 stalk celery finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flour or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth I use low sodium
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t medium Yukon gold potato finely diced (I didn' peel it)
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar or more to taste

Instructions

Begin by roasting cauliflower:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Toss cauliflower, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 30-35 minutes, until tender and golden brown. Toss a couple times during the last 15 minutes of cooking,

Soup:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Add the flour or cornstarch, and stir to combine. Add roasted cauliflower, stock, thyme, bay leaf, and potato. If the liquid does not cover the vegetables, add enough water to just cover them (I had to add about 1 cup of water)
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and milk, and discard bay leaf.
3. Using a stand blender or immersion blender, puree slightly or all the way, depending on how much texture you want. I pureed a little more than half. Add salt and pepper to taste (make sure it is well seasoned). Stir white cheddar into each bowl right before serving.

Recipe Notes

If you need this dish to be vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. If you need it to be gluten-free, make sure that your stock is gluten-free, and use cornstarch instead of flour.