As I’m writing this, it is a gloomy, rainy day – seems like a “soup day” to me! I love to start a big pot of soup in the morning and “fiddle” with it all day until it’s just right. One of the very special things about a soup day is that I actually have a whole day to do my fiddling”!
Today I’ve got a pot of navy bean soup going. It’s got navy beans, chicken broth, carrots, onions and in the absence of celery, some poblano pepper chunks. I will make cornbread to go with it later on today. The weather may be cold and wet outside, but we will be warm and cozy inside enjoying a big bowl of soup.
I usually don’t use a recipe when I make “cold outside-warm inside” soup, but I am always on the lookout for new soup recipes to try in Becky’s “Test” Kitchen because I like to serve small soup shooters at my dinner parties.
I was looking for a healthy soup recipe recently because it was New Year’s Resolution time. I wanted to find a soup that wasn’t loaded with cream and cheese, and also wasn’t one that is on every menu in town. I saw a recipe called Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup and almost passed it up because of the word creamy. Thank goodness I took the time to read through the recipe because the only dairy/fat in the entire recipe was 2 tablespoons of butter. BINGO!
I made it, and it was quite tasty. It was actually good enough to earn a place in my special recipe binder! It is easy to make and guilt-free to eat and enjoy.
CREAMY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 TBLS extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth (I used 2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of chicken broth)
- 2 TBLS unsalted butter
- 1 TBLS fresh lemon juice, or more if needed
- Scant 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- For garnish: 2 TBLS finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives and/or green onions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- On a baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 TBLS of the olive oil until evenly coated. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25-35 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Once the cauliflower is almost done, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 TBLS olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth.
- Add the cauliflower to the pot, increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
- Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. Puree the soup until it is your desired consisitency. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow.)
- Add the butter and blend until smooth. Then add the lemon juice and nutmeg and blend again. Add additional salt if needed. This soup tastes amazing once it’s properly salted! You can also add a little more lemon juice if it needs more zing. Blend again.
- Top individual bowls of soup with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, green onions and/or chives. The soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered for about 4 days, or for several months in the freezer. It makes about 4 bowls of soup or 10 soup shooters.
I hope you like it! I also hope you have a favorite soup recipe to share with DownHome in the comments section below.
