Easy Cauliflower Soup

Written by on in Budget Friendly, For the Freezer, Light and Healthier, Recipes

This soup is adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe.  I have used fresh or frozen cauliflower in this – frozen doesn’t need to be cooked as much, but still tastes great.

If you like, you CAN take your immersion blender to this or dump it in the VitaMix to make a creamy smooth soup.  I like it chunky when I use fresh cauliflower, creamy when I use frozen.  Be sure your other veggies are cooked completely if you’re going to blend it.

This soup also freezes VERY nicely – and because it is meat-free, it’s budget friendly.  This uses chicken stock, so it’s not vegetarian, but you could use vegetable stock and make it that way very easily!

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Easy Cauliflower Soup

Author Carrie Hill

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 shallot Finely Diced
  • 1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
  • 1 stalk Celery Finely Diced
  • 1 whole Cauliflower Head chopped to 1/2" pieces or 2 bags frozen cauliflower
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley minced
  • 6 Cups Chicken Stock or use boullion and water if you must, it still tastes great
  • 6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
  • 2 Cups milk
  • 1 cup Half-and-half
  • 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 C roasted corn optional
  • 1/2 C Fresh spinach optional

Instructions

  1. In a large dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp Butter & 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, Sautee the diced shallot, celery and carrot until transparent. Add in the diced cauliflower and optional corn and stir well. Cover and let saute for about 10 minutes.
  2. While cauliflower is roasting, in a skillet melt 6 tbsp butter and then add 6 tbsp butter. This will turn into a paste, that's okay. Add about 1/2 C of your chicken stock and cook until the roux turns a little tan in color and cut the heat
  3. Go back to your cauliflower and add the stock in and cover again, cook for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through.
  4. Add Milk to the stock and cauliflower mixture and add 1/2 and 1/2 into the roux and whip well. Add the roux into your stock mixture and mix well. When this comes to a simmer add in the milk and nutmeg and taste for salt and pepper, add to taste then reduce the heat to just barely bubbling.
  5. Heat through, it will thicken slightly - you can now blend if you want, or leave chunky. If you like this is when you stir in the spinach to wilt it into the soup. Spinach doesn't blend, so don't use it if you don't want green soup!