Creamy Cauliflower Soup – Simple Meal Plans

video password: soup [case sensitive]

[5 ingredients | 10 minutes]
cauliflower soup
serves 2

One of my favourite things when I was growing up was cauliflower with cheese. Although if I’m honest I was more excited about the thick blanket of cheese sauce than anything to do with the cauli. These days I LOVE my cauliflower. And this soup is one of my favourite ways to serve it.

In the video I’ve used frozen cauliflower because it’s easy but if you have access to good fresh cauli, you’ll need about 1/2 large head chopped into little trees.

To make this soup in under 10 minutes, I cook the onion and cauliflower separately in 2 different saucepans. If you have more time or would prefer to save on washing up, just cook the onion as directed then add the cauliflower and water and cook as per the cauliflower cooking part. Either way you get a lovely soup.

Oh and be generous with the butter, it really adds a lovely creamy velvetiness.

2 large knobs butter
2 brown onions, peeled & chopped
2 bay leaves, optional
500g (1lb) cauliflower florettes
large handful finely grated parmesan cheese

1. Place a medium saucepan on a high heat and add butter, onion and bay leaves. Cover.

2. In another saucepan bring 2 cups water to the boil and add the cauliflower, straight from the freezer if using frozen.

3. Cook both saucepans, covered & stirring every now and then for about 8 minutes or until onion is soft but not brown and cauliflower is no longer crunchy. Keep an eye on the onions and turn the heat down if they start to burn or brown.

4. Add the cauli and water to the onion pan and puree with a stick blender (or use a food processor being very careful with the hot soup).

5. Taste, season and stir in parmesan.

quantities for different serving sizes:

You can easily double or triple this recipe. The cooking time will be about the same, maybe slightly longer.

prepare ahead?

This can easily be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer.

variations for dietary requirements:

carnivores – Some chopped bacon fried until crisp makes a lovely addition sprinkled over the top.

vegans – Replace the butter with olive oil and replace the cheese with finely grated brazil nuts, if you like.

troubleshooting guide:

too bland – Because we’re not using stock, expect to add more salt than you normally would for a stock based soup.

too chunky– If you’ve given it a good puree, sounds like the onion or cauliflower wasn’t quite cooked enough. If you’re worried about it you could pass it through a fine sieve but I quite like having a few chunks.

don’t have any bay leaves? – You could easily skip or together or replace with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or even some chilli powder for a touch of warmth.

colour brown & dull – The flavour will probably still be lovely but the darker colour means the onions have browned too much. Next time cook them on a lower heat and stir more frequently.

serving suggestions

Wonderful on it’s own or with a slice of hot buttered toast.

leftover potential:

Brilliant!. Will keep in the fridge for at least a week or more.