Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This soup was born in Napa Valley, California. Not too shabby, eh?

This past Christmas I was lucky enough to travel to Napa with Tyler’s family. One evening we found ourselves brainstorming dinner ideas that would require as few ingredients as possible (since we were away from home with an empty fridge and spice cabinet).

The result was this rich and creamy soup. Despite its decadence, it’s incredibly healthy and requires very few ingredients! 

Top it with homemade croutons and give yourself permission to eat as much as you want. After all, you’re eating vegetables!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Servings: 6 main course servings

Ingredients

• 2 TBL extra virgin olive oil, separated
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, separated
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper, separated
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed or roughly chopped
• 2 heads of cauliflower, cut into medium-sized florets
• 6 cups vegetable broth

Toppings

• Homemade croutons (see recipe below)
• Nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese, if not dairy-free)
• Sprinkle of pepper

Instructions

• Heat 1 TBL olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is caramelized (about 5-7 minutes), then add the garlic. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, taking care not to let the garlic burn
• Add the cauliflower and remaining 1 TBL olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
• Stir well, and cook for about 5 minutes to gently sear the cauliflower
• Add the vegetable broth, turn the heat up to high, and cover the pot. Bring to a boil
• Once the soup has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and falls apart easily (anywhere from 20-45 minutes)
• Carefully transfer the soup to a high power blender*, and blend until smooth and creamy. If you prefer a chunkier soup, only blend 2/3 of the mixture, then combine with the remaining 1/3
• Top individual servings with homemade croutons (see recipe below), a sprinkle of pepper, and nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese

*Note: You can use a food processor instead of a blender, but the result will be less creamy and smooth

Homemade Croutons

• 5 slices good quality bread (we prefer sourdough or French), torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 TBL extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bread, oil, salt and pepper and stir to coat the bread evenly. Cook the bread on one side (without stirring) until it’s golden or dark brown, then flip each piece to cook the other side. Continue cooking until both sides are deep golden brown. Feel free to add more salt or pepper to taste.

Note: Don’t be afraid to let the croutons get a bit charred on the edges. A slight char can be delicious!