Bird's Nest Bites

A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Yes, I am still on my comfort food kick 🙂  And in the spirit of comfort food, Creamy Cauliflower is one of my favorites; creamy, cheesy and pretty much guilt free if you are into that food guilt stuff.  Every time I’m in the mood for macaroni and cheese I make Cauliflower soup and it usually satisfies that particular craving – I said usually.  One of the best things about this soup aside from how delicious it is, is that it has no cream, no half & half, and no full-fat milk (unless, of course, you want to put some in there in which case I say ‘Go For It’).  The other best part about it is that it’s only got a small handful of ingredients, which makes it quick, healthy, and scrape out the bowl delicious.  Come on along and let me tell you how to get this thing done…

This is one of those recipes where you can make as little or as much as you want, and is an excellent way to use up cauliflower that has been in the refrigerator a tad too long.  Just cut off the green stem, and slice up the rest.  Leave the core in:  it’s delicious and you will never know it’s in there. Add about half an onion for every head of cauliflower you use.

Pour about an inch of water in the bottom of a large stockpot.  Add the cauliflower and onion, salt to taste, cover and cook over medium high heat until cauliflower and onion are tender.  Start looking at about 20 minutes, it goes pretty quickly. Now comes the fun part.  If you have an Immersion Blender, this is the perfect time to haul it out.  If you don’t a blender will work just fine.  Just remember to blend in small batches and let the vegetables cool a little bit.  You do not want to get splattered with boiling hot soup parts.

When your puree is super smooth, add milk (I use 2% but if you want to use half & half or some cream, or non-fat milk or alternative milks, go for it).  Time to use your best judgement here, and add enough milk to reach the consistency that work for you.  Creamy city. At this point I like to throw in a big handful of Parmesan, Asiago, grated Provolone (or all three) and stir in.  Note:  the cheese will add a little bit more body to the soup, so just thin with more milk if it gets too thick for you.  Check for seasoning:  need more salt?  How about a pinch of cayenne pepper?

Your soup is done!   Well, I like to add more cheese and a big pat of butter – oh, and some crusty bread with plenty of garlic butter, but that’s just me. Then I love to scoop that cheesy soup up with a piece of bread and…yikes.

Hope you love this one as much as we do!!  Thanks so much for reading today. xoxoxo

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This creamy soup is deceptive – so creamy you’d think it was loaded with cream, but really just a bit of low fat milk is added. This is our ‘go to’ soup at home, takes only about 20 minutes to make. This recipe makes a whole lot of soup, so you may want to cut it in half. But if you’re like us, the full recipe version will be gone in no time!
Author:
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 heads cauliflower, cut into large florets
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut into 6 pieces
  • About 1 quart of milk, half & half, or alternative milk
  • About 1 cup of grated cheese of your choice – optional (Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone, Jarlsburg, White Sharp Cheddar, or Grana Padano works well)
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Instructions
  1. Put about 1 inch of water in the bottom of a Dutch oven.
  2. Add the onions and cauliflower and some salt.
  3. Cover, bring to boil, and then reduce to a low boil until vegetables are soft.
  4. Using an immersion blender, blend ingredients until fairly smooth. As an alternative, blend in small batches in a blender.
  5. Add milk in increments to reach the consistency, blending after each addition until soup is silky smooth.
  6. Reduce to low heat, check for seasonings, and add cheese if desired.

 

 

 

 

Categories

By Date