Has fall weather hit you yet? It has certainly come to us.
A few weeks ago I bought the most beautiful head of orange cauliflower at the farmer’s market and had one of those moments where I was so excited to eat it that I didn’t know where to start.
Of course, I was 25 weeks along at that point and the “experts” say that at 25 weeks a developing baby is roughly the size of cauliflower, so obviously the first thing to do was to take a belly comparison pic.
Don’t mind the frumpy PJ’s…it’s getting harder and harder to find comfy clothing!
But after that there were actual choices to be made. Finally, in the interest of simplicity and seasonally-appropriate fare, I settled on a hearty soup.
This soup is rich and filling with a deep, savory flavor that will warm you from the inside out!
Thick and Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Serves 4
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets (about 4-5 cups)
5 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 small (or 1 large) russet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 turmeric
4 cups vegetable broth (or reconstituted bouillon)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup nutritional yeast (optional but highly recommended!)
Couple dashes cayenne (optional)
1. The roasting: Preheat the oven to 425. Place cauliflower and garlic cloves on a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring or flipping at least once about halfway through, until cauliflower is tender and nicely browned. Take out of the oven and let cool slightly, then remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Also set aside about a cup of cauliflower.
2. Warm some oil (or a thin layer of water) in a stockpot over medium-high heat and saute onion until tender and beginning to turn translucent.
3. Add potatoes, cumin, and turmeric, stir to combine, and cook 1 minute.
4. Add broth and bay leaf, stir, and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
6. Add cauliflower and garlic, stir to combine, and simmer another 5 minutes.
7. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF, then puree, either in the pot with an immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor.
8. Stir in the reserved cauliflower florets, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast and cayenne if using. Taste and adjust spices as necessary. Enjoy!
This soup doesn’t take long to pull together, but if you are really short on time, you could consider skipping the roasting step. The flavor will be a little less deep, but the soup will still come out delicious. For the unroasted version, peel and finely chop the garlic and saute it along with the onion in step 2. In step 3, add the cauliflower along with the potato and simmer both in the vegetable broth (steps 4 and 5) until tender. Once tender, use a strainer to remove some of the florets to set aside, if desired. Then blend and season as indicated in steps 7 and 8.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
A.Cook in the Making 