Description
You’d never guess that this lusciously creamy roasted cauliflower cheese soup uses no cream at all! It’s silky smooth, ultra cheesy and the perfect bowl of good for you comfort for cooler nights. It also uses every day ingredients, comes together in less than an hour and is super hands off.
Ingredients
For the soup –
- 1 large cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup grated cheese (I like using a strong cheddar and a little blue cheese)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
To serve –
- Reserved roasted cauliflower florets and leaves
- 1 tablespoon chilli oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons crumbled cheese
Equipment –
- Blender or immersion (stick) blender
Instructions
- Roast the cauliflower. Start by heating your oven to 220C fan. Chop your cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Don’t throw the stalk or leaves away! Chop the stalks up to roast, and set aside the small leaves. Add the cauliflower florets and chopped stalks to an oven dish or baking paper lined oven tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Give the cauliflower a good mix so it’s well coated in the oil and salt. Cut the whole head of garlic in half, so you’re cutting across the cloves. Drizzle the exposed cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then wrap it in a piece of aluminium foil. Transfer the cauliflower and garlic to the oven, then roast for 30 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be slightly charred on top and the garlic to be soft and squeezable.
- Cook the onion. While the cauliflower and garlic are roasting, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot over a medium heat, then add the diced onion and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, as the onion starts to soften. If you find it starts to burn, add a splash of water (1 tablespoon) and that will slow the cooking down. Once the onion is soft, add the stock.
- Simmer the soup. Remove the cauliflower and garlic from the oven, then set aside about 6 florets to garnish your finished soup. Transfer the rest into the pot with the onion and stock. Leave the garlic to sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly before squeezing the cloves out of their skins and adding them to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. While the soup is simmering, add the set aside cauliflower leaves to the now empty oven dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast for 5 minutes then set aside.
- Blend the soup. You can use either an immersion blender or a stand blender for this step – I prefer a stand blender because I find you get a smoother result, but just go with whatever is easiest for you. If you’re using a stand blender you’ll want to let the soup cool slightly (5 minutes) before adding it to the blender. Blitz for a couple of minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and the ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg then blitz again until super smooth and creamy.
- Add the cheese. Pour the soup back into the pot, then add the cheese and stir so it melts into the soup. Taste, and add a little more lemon juice or salt if it needs it – the salt level will differ based on the cheese you use so taste it and see. If it tastes like something is missing, it needs a little more salt and lemon juice. Add little bits at a time as it’s very easy to add too much and then it’s very hard to save. Divide between bowls, top with a little more crumbled cheese, the reserved cauliflower florets and leaves, then drizzle with chilli or olive oil.
Notes
SAVE TIME: I love the added flavour you’ll get through roasting the cauliflower, HOWEVER, you can skip this step if you’re low on time. Just add the florets straight into the pot with the onion and stock and simmer for 15 minutes until soft and tender. If you’re doing it this way, add 3 crushed garlic cloves to the pot along with the onion.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: This soup keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 7 days so you can use it throughout the week – it makes a wonderful lunch. You can also freeze the soup. I like to portion it in zip lock bags for easy storage and quick defrosting. You can defrost in a pot on the stovetop, in the microwave or let defrost at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: soups
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: british
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl