Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup
Erica Lea on Sep 4th 2012
Hello friends! Can believe August is over? This summer has been super-busy. I must admit to looking forward to the cooler months when things will slow down a bit and we can breathe.
Throughout the summer, the thought of heating up our small house by turning on the oven doesn’t excite me one bit. But as the weather begins to whisper of fall, my interest in cooking is rekindled.
My favorite fall/winter supper is soup. Once you know the basic steps for most soups, it’s so easy to customize and create to your preferences. And there’s just something cozy about a bowl of steaming soup.
But on to the soup at hand.
Cauliflower has never been my favorite veggie. On a scale of 1 to beets, it’s about an eight. Then one day, my grandma taught us how to make steamed cauliflower with buttered breadcrumbs. I softened. A little. Then I saw Katie’s recipe for Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Soup. I caved.
I’m so glad I did. Once roasted, the cauliflower develops a lovely flavor. The hints of celery, thyme and roasted garlic are amazing. You should definitely try this soup, even if you are a cauliflower hater. It just might change your mind!
Recipe Notes:
- The original recipe looks quite long and complicated. Do not fear! It comes together quite easily.
- Also, this recipe is very forgiving. I didn’t have any white wine on hand, so I replaced it with more chicken broth. We’re not huge on bay leaves, so I left that out as well. The bacon suggested sounds yummy, but I think it’s completely optional.
Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Soup | from Katie Goodman | serves 4-6 | PRINTABLE PAGE
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 oil
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Cut cauliflower into individual florets. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
3.) 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.
4.) 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.
5.) 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.
6.) 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.
7.) 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.
8.) Serve immediately, topped with bacon and a drizzle of olive or truffle oil and a side of bread for dipping
Filed in Reuben Approved, Soup
This sounds delightful! Love this idea!
I bet this would be just as good with vegetable stock and no bacon - it looks really delicious!
Jenny: Yes, I thought it totally didn’t need the bacon.
This looks heavenly! I also, love soup as an autumn and winter supper! That, along with home made bread– nothing can beat that!
The bacon and truffle oil are what sold me - can’t wait for cooler weather to try it!
Hi!
I’ve been wondering this since you posted the grandma’s cooking lesson “roast beef” originally… how DOES she make the steamed cauliflower with buttered breadcrumbs? I’m hoping this one isn’t a family secret too! I would love to make this side sometime! Thanks!
In Christ,
Dawn
Dawn: I don’t remember exactly how she does it…she either boiled it or steamed it until tender. Then she cooked some breadcrumbs with butter and put that on top of the cauliflower. I could ask her the next time I see her how she does is.
Amy: Yes, the truffle oil sounds amazing - wish I was rich enough to get some.
Someday…
Rachel: Fresh bread, biscuits or muffins with soup is the best.
This soup looks so comforting, Erica. Thanks for sharing
I’m assuming the flour is for thickening….do thing almond flour would do the trick?
Stephanie: Yes, the flour is for thickening. I’ve never used almond flour to thicken a soup - it would probably work! You could also use arrowroot powder.
I made this for dinner last night and it was so, so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I used to hate cauliflower too. Then one night my mom made it for me roasted on a pan with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and some capers and I fell in love.
Steph: That’s so awesome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Wowzers. I might have try what your mom did sometime. 
Can anyone believe I only had pickled cauliflower? But this recipe looks so nice, and I like the idea of bacon in this soup, so I might try it some time.
[...] convinced myself I was hungry and to take a break from Zelda, I remembered this incredible looking Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup I saw on Pinterest. While not really Paleo, it looked easy enough to modify to be Paleo friendly, [...]
Very delicious soup! We enjoyed this tonight alongside a caprese salad. Thanks!
rita: Mmmm…that salad sounds lovely. Glad you enjoyed the soup!
Made this last night when hubby complained of a cold..I knew the garlic would pack a punch of healing energy. My little one and her friend however, gobbled it down and my husband had to get to the pot quicky before it disappeared. What a great recipe. This will def become one of my regulars for fall/winter cooking. Many thanks!
Hi,
I’m from Armenia, maybe you haven’t heard about my country.
I was looking for smth. easy and tasty to cook as I’m a beginner cook and I found this soup.
WOW. This is smth. amazing. So tasty, rich and easy.
Everyone wanted second help. THANKS a lot. We’ll keep this recipe in mind.
And Congrats on your big news!!!! Wish you all the best !!!!
Armine: That’s awesome! Glad you liked & enjoyed it.
Thank you!
I am eating spoonful after spoonful of this lovely soup. It is full of flavor and delicious.
I did not have any wine so I just settled for extra stock.
I can never have to much bacon so I made a big batch of crispy streaky bacon, which I munched on while pureeing the soup.
Thank you for a yummy soup
[...] Slightly Adapted from: Cooking for Seven [...]
This soup is AMAZING. My new favorite…..my husband’s too!
Just made this and goodness gracious is it delicious!!
For anyone wondering, I made a few modifications due to dietary and what-I-had-in-the-pantry restrictions.
I’m gluten and dairy intolerant and I didn’t have a good substitute for flour, so I just left it out and hoped for the best and had NO problems (even still added some vegetable broth at the end). I also used coconut milk instead of half and half and it’s quite delicious.
I used red wine instead of white because that’s all I had and I also omitted the bay leaf and the parsley because I didn’t have either of those.
While I’m sure it will be much better WITHOUT those last three modifications, I made them because I wanted to try the soup now and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do!
Fabulous recipe and I can’t wait to make it again - I’m pretty sure it’s going to become a winter staple for me.
Taryn: So glad you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for sharing your modifications. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Okay, your soup was amazing. I make a lot of soup, and I can’t believe how yummy and flavorful Your recipe was. thanks so much for posting it!!
Maggie: Yay! So glad you liked it. Have an awesome day!
Browsing Pinterest for a soup and BAM! you saved the day…er my week of lunches
Can’t wait to make it this Sunday.
I saw some posts about dairy intolerance, while I am just watching my fat intake, ive used pureed white beans to thicken soups in the past. Doesnt change the flavor and you get a lil more protien to boot! cheers!
I made this soup last night! It was veryy yummy. I added cayenne, as i like my food spicy
Definetely will make this again…i think i’ll add some chick peas next time!
I thought the soup looked YUMMY without blending. Do I have to puree the soup?
Julie: Nope! The soup would probably be less “creamy” without blending - you could try saving out some of the cauliflower and blending in the rest.
Yummmyyyy sopita!
Thank you, I was looking for a soup to make on Friday that was meat free and this was perfect! Congratulations on your new bundle of joy, she is beautiful!
Do you think it will freeze well? Being only two of us this soup probably would be a “whole lot” but I want to try it. It sounds soooo very delish. Thanks
Gail: I haven’t tried freezing it (we easily ate it all up), but I don’t think that should be a problem. If you try it out, let me know how it worked!