FEB
15
Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup
 |
This is one of those recipes that I’m going to tell you if you think you don’t like cauliflower: TRY AGAIN. That’s right. No wimping out on this one. This Creamy Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup is incredible. In fact, if you have someone who’s a cauliflower hater in your home you might try calling this “Garlic Soup,” instead. You won’t notice any unpleasant flavors from the cauliflower, just added nutrition benefits from the vegetables.
Unlike other Cream of Cauliflower soup recipes, the flavor of this soup recipe is greatly enhanced with the rich, subtle flavor of roasted garlic. Roasting the garlic and cauliflower adds a deep, earthiness and a richness that doesn’t necessarily come from heavy calories.
One thing that I really love about cauliflower is that it seems to last for quite a while in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. The first time I made this soup I used a head that I had sitting around for – and I am not kidding – at least 2 weeks.
Cauliflower was on sale at the grocery store and I picked one up thinking it’d be good to have on hand for snacking or a vegetable side dish one night (related: Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes). But it sat there, and sat there, and sat there. Until one day I was really pressed with what to have for dinner.
I had garlic soup on the brain that night but after one look at the still fresh head of cauliflower in the fridge my plans morphed into a little something else.
Besides being a this Garlic and Cauliflower Soup being full flavored on it’s own, I think this richly flavored recipe could be a wonderful base for other creations as well, much like this Potato Leek Soup.
In fact, next time I prepare this I am going to experiment with that. But for now, I think it is plenty tasty with a sprinkling of bacon and a slice of crusty bread for dipping. Try this Light Whole Wheat Baguette on for size.
 "Pin It")
Creamy Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 whole head cauliflower
1 large whole head garlic
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus up to 2 more as needed for desired consistency
1 dried bay leaf
2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley
1/3 cup half and half
3 ounces cooked and crumbled bacon
additional oil for serving - olive oil or truffle oilDirections:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut cauliflower into individual florets. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Cut the top off of the head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap with foil. Place wrapped garlic on the baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower and garlic at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. When the cauliflower is tender and golden remove from the oven.
The garlic will need to roast for a total of about 25-30 minutes. You can remove it to check it's progress as needed - it should smell fragrant but not raw, be golden and tender.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a cast iron dutch oven or medium-large stock pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Whisk in the salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and flour and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the wine and water, whisking to combine with the flour mixture. Then, slowly add in the 2 cups broth. Add the bay leave and roasted garlic cloves. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, add the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until pureed and smooth. Add additional broth during or after blending to achieve desired consistency. After all the batches have been completed, return to the pot. Stir in the half and half and parsley. Cook until just heated through. Adjust salt and pepper for tastes.
Serve immediately, topped with bacon and a drizzle of olive or truffle oil and a side of bread for dipping.
About the Author:
Katie’s lifelong interest in cooking good food has shown her that part of the goodness in life is enjoying delicious food with friends and family. She is: Writer. Photographer. Recipe Developer. Website Founder. Lover of all things good in life. Wife & Mom. A mix of great recipes, family memories, and yummy photography is what Katie serves up each week at GoodLife Eats™. Katie resides in Colorado with her husband and two children.
|
Hello! I'm Katie Goodman, author of GoodLife Eats Etc. where I share what I find in my life. A mix of great recipes, family memories, adventures, good reads, and anything else that I love is what you will discover here.
This soup looks so creamy and delicious! I love the cauliflower and garlic combo. Yum!
[Reply]
THis sounds so wonderful- roasted garlic is SUCH a treat!
[Reply]
I’m addicted to the cauliflower soup at Zupas. This sounds even better! Yum!
[Reply]
Oh my goodness I have to try this! I love roasted cauliflower and I love roasted garlic so this has to be a winner. YUM.
[Reply]
This sounds DELICIOUS!! I know my family would love it!!
Thanks for sharing and linking up to the party Katie!!….you pictures ALWAYS make me drool…..
[Reply]
Sigh. I could definitely dig into a bowl of this.
[Reply]
I LOVE cauliflower and I’m certain that I will LOVE this soup!
[Reply]
I don’t really like cauliflower, but this soup is calling to me!!
[Reply]
I happen to have a head of cauliflower in my vegetable drawer right now. Thanks for this recipe, looks like dinner tonight is planned!
[Reply]
I already know that I’m a cauliflower lover but this soup could really take my love to a whole new level!
[Reply]
Yum! This soup looks really creamy and wonderful. I will have to pick up a bunch of cauliflower this weekend at the market!
[Reply]
Roasted garlic makes everything better! Beautifully photographed too!
[Reply]
I can’t wait to try this! Your presentation has me hungry. It’s probably a silly question, but I am a little confused by the 1/3 half and half. 1/3 a cup? 1/3 a carton? Thanks!
[Reply]
Katie replied: — February 15th, 2011 @ 1:36 PM
Yes – 1/3 cup. Thanks and sorry for the typo. Going to ix it now.
Too true on the whole “Cream of” comment, this is a big improvement on an old classic. Thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
I actually like cauliflower, so I think this looks great. Worth a try, for sure! You have a really cute blog! Visiting from Tidy Mom’s Soup-a-Palooza party. Hope you’ll stop by my blog to say hi.
[Reply]
Well that’s one way to get the kids to eat veggies. Looks amazing, beautiful photos…
[Reply]
For some reason I stay away from cauliflower at the grocery store. To me it seems like a difficult ingredient, but your recipe makes it sound very approachable!
[Reply]
This looks fantastic Katie!
[Reply]
I like the fact that the garlic and cauliflower is roasted, it must add a lot of dimension to the flavors of this soup. I love cauliflower, and am always looking for new ways to make it.
[Reply]
Yummy! Looks so delicious!
[Reply]
I’ve never had cauliflower soup before! I wonder how it tastes..
[Reply]
Roasted garlic just can’t do wrong in my book!
[Reply]
This soup sounds and looks amazing Katie! I will have to try this soon. And as always your photo’s are beautiful!
[Reply]
Ooo, you had me at cauliflower and garlic, no convincing needed! Wonder if it would work as a dip without the stock?
[Reply]
Looks wonderful! I am a huge lover of cauliflower, in fact, I have a whole head of it tucked away in my vegetable drawer with the intention of making a cauliflower souffle later this week. Your soup, tho, looks tantalizingly good. Especially with that last drizzle of truffle oil. Over the top!! :-p
[Reply]
Oh my gosh, this soup is completely GORGEOUS!! I have not gotten around to experimenting much with cauliflower, but have heard really good things about its texture in various dishes.
I am currently swapping out a lot of our normal meals for healthier ones, so I will definitely have to add this to the list!!
[Reply]
Just saw your picture featured on the side bar of the Food News Journal. Way to go! Beautiful picture!!
[Reply]
I can’t wait to make this! It looks and sounds delish. I’m putting it on my menu soon!
[Reply]
I’ve got a head of broccoli whose destiny is this soup!! I can not wait to try it =D
[Reply]
This looks and sounds absolutely fabulous. I am trying this immediately!
[Reply]
Cauliflower is a vegetable I’ve been meaning to experiment more with. This definitely sounds intriguing with the roasted garlic. Looks like a beautiful bowl of soup!
[Reply]
I love cauliflower bisque! I usually put a couple of raw cloves in but I love roasted garlic! This is a wonderful recipe I will have to try next time I crave my bisque.
[Reply]
Roasted garlic makes anything better. Delicious looking soup.
[Reply]
Thanks for sharing your soup recipe, Katie!
[Reply]
If one were to substitute the white wine (it’s the only thing I don’t have on hand and the liquor store is too far away) what would I use? Just add extra chicken stock?
Also, I second the comment up above that roast garlic makes EVERYTHING better.
[Reply]
Katie replied: — February 19th, 2011 @ 10:45 AM
Yes, just extra chicken broth.
Just finished making this on a cold, snowy day in Pgh. It’s excellent and I suspect it will be even better the next day (if there is any left over). Very mellow garlic flavor really enhances this. Instead of putting the soup in the standing blender I used my handy-dandy immersion blender. Easy-peasy. Thanks for posting this recipe!
[Reply]
I just bought some cauliflower. This looks like an easy, delicious and healthy recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
[Reply]
Just cooked this tonight and it turned out great! I don’t even like cauliflower. The only changes I made were to cook the garlic and cauliflower on the grill instead. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
[Reply]
Delicious, Beautiful & Healthy = two humbs way up!!
[Reply]
It’s true, I liked it and I don’t like cauliflower!
If you’re gluten free, use 1/2 tbsp corn starch instead of flour.
If you’re dairy free use oil for butter and instead of adding half and half to the pan I added 2 tbsp plain soy yoghurt to my serving in the bowl.
I did both and it was still good. Works fine without celery, parsley or bacon too.
[Reply]
I made this a few nights ago and absolutely loved it. It was an exceptionally cold night here, and this, with a slice of crusty bread, was just what I needed.
[Reply]
I made a vegetarian version using chicken style stock, Massel brand. I also didn’t quite have enough cauli so I added half a head of broccoli to the carrot onion mix which worked well. I don’t think I got the flour section right because I used rice flour and it’s not a thickener which I think was the purpose of the flour. DIdn’t have parsley so I substituted coriander/cilantro. great soup for the middle of winter.
[Reply]
My VERY picky 4 year old proclaimed that I should make this everyday after I made it last night. He freaked out when I added the garlic but then he ate 2 BIG bowl-fuls. I added a little of the Boursin style cheese to mine too. It was so good – defiantly a keeper. Posting it now.
[Reply]
Do you have any nutrional information? I am trying to track my intakes.
Thank you.
[Reply]
Katie replied: — February 17th, 2013 @ 10:48 AM
I do not, but there are many website where you can input the ingredients and serving number and it will calculate that information for you.