Cream of Cauliflower Soup Recipe..Told You It was Fall
September 7, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under 30 Minutes or Less
This cauliflower soup recipe is serious comfort food..even if you don’t like cauliflower! It is so simple, and tastes so rich… and it is a low glycemic recipe as well.
It was chilly last week with the wind and the cloudy skies left over from the hurricane. I have started wearing long sleeves and am boxing up the tank tops that get me through the 105 degree summers. I had a head of cauliflower and my family doesn’t really like cauliflower other than raw in a dip.. A friend had given it to me when they went on vacation and she needed her fridge cleaned out!
Mmm…Cauliflower soup.
You can actually substitute cauliflower for potatoes in almost anything, I learned that when I was on Atkins….and I may be doing a bit more of that this winter. I think it is going to be a cold winter..my body is storing fat. :/
Anyway, if you have a potato soup recipe you love then substitute with cauliflower once and see how you like it…Otherwise..try this because it is that good…If you happen to have some bacon to cook and crumble on top it is better…
Oh..and you need to make it the texture you like. I puree mine until it is just smooth and creamy but feel free to leave pieces of cauliflower in there if your family likes a chunkier type soup.
I know some of you are going to balk at the half and half. You can use milk..even skim milk if you like…but please, just try it with the half and half at least once!
Cream of Cauliflower Soup Recipe
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
8 cups of half and half, goat’s milk, whole milk etc.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
toast points
parsley
Cook the cauliflower, covered, in as little water as possible. You want to steam it to intensify the flavor.Steam it until it is very tender, and then set aside but leave the cover on.
Meanwhile saute the onion and garlic in a little butter until it is transparent.
Add the onion and garlic ot the cauliflower. Puree along with the little water that remains in the pan (should be no more than a cup) in a blender until it is smooth. Just process it a little at a time. Pour the cauliflower puree back into the pan and add the cream.
Reheat the mixture over medium heat, stirring once in awhile. When it reaches a good temperature add the grated cheese and the butter in pieces. Stir until melted and blended.
Taste and and salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle into bowls, add the toast point, a few gratings of parmesan and some parsley or chives.
Serves 8
Enjoy this cauliflower soup. Recipes like this are so amazingly versatile and easy that you just keep going back to them again and again.
You can add in the following:
- cheddar cheese
- bacon
- ham
- chipotle
- green or red bell pepper
- smoked sausage
Image:Marye Audet
Hi Marye,
this is a recipe I am definitely going to try. I did not know cauliflower could be substituted for potatoes. Anyway, it is one of my favorite vegetables, and this soup sounds just wonderful.
It is delish! Good to see you again! Now that hte book is done hopefully I will have some time for visiting!
This looks lovely, Marye. I made another fall favorite the other day – potato leek soup. Just wonderful.
I love potato leek soup, Jen…I grew up on it and it is a big comfort food for me..but the carbs do me in.
M…This is actually a question…the recipe sounds great and I’m about to try it, but I was wondering if this type of soup would freeze well? I often freeze a leek/potato base, but I’ve never tried it w/ cauliflower….
Thanks
can you freeze cauliflower soup thanks
Janet..it is not good to freeze cream based soups because they separate.
David it should freeze better than potato. You might cut back on the garlic a smidge..garlic gets more intense when frozen
This is very tempting, but surely you don’t mean 8 cups half and half?? For one head of cauliflower? Guidance, please!
Oh yes, Kristin,I certainly do. If you wish to use some other liquid for the half and half you may…but it just won;t be as creamy and good.
wonderful – and soooooo easy! i used what I had on hand – so the recipe was simplified…cauliflower, boullion cubes, black pepper, shredded cheddar, 2 % milk, butter, onion…that’s it! dinner’s on!
SHelley, yep! The beauty of this is that the cauliflower adds richness.
Hi Marye:
I slightly adjusted the recipe, sauted onion & garlic in butter, then added couple table spoons of flour (for thickness) and added to cooked cauliflower, blended with hand mixer and added sour cream for taste. Topped it with parsley. Hmmmmmm goood
Kelly from Canada
that sounds wonderful Kelly
1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese is in the ingredients, but it is never mentioned again in the recipe. When should it be added? with butter pieces? as a topper?
sorry Mar..actually either way you prefer works..but I have fixed the recipe instructions.
Try using chicken stock and last few minutes add some heavy cream.. Awesome
Susan that is a great way to save on fat and calories