This deliciously creamy soup made with fresh roasted cauliflower, garlic and sharp white cheddar cheese is sure to be a new family favorite.
We all know that cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse, but have you ever tried it in soup? Turn up the flavor and creamy texture of cauliflower with sharp white cheddar cheese and you've got a bowlful of comforting and nutritious goodness.
Packed with essential vitamins and minerals, this creamy soup is easy to make and super flavorful. My girls love soup; especially when the weather gets cooler.
Though I make homemade chicken soup often, every now and then I'll add some of their favorites like Tuscan White Bean Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Chicken and Wild Rice Soup to the rotation.
Soup like this creamy white cheddar cauliflower version is a new favorite and also great to utilize leftovers too. Enjoy!
Suggested Equipment
- Colander
- Baking Sheet
- Medium Saucepan
- Immersion Blender (or regular blender)
- Soup Crocks
Ingredients Needed
Fresh Cauliflower: You can cut down a whole head or purchase cauliflower florets that have already been packaged.
Garlic: Since the soup will be pureed, you can use minced garlic; however, I prefer to use fresh, thin slices when roasting so it doesn't burn before the cauliflower is cooked.
Butter
All Purpose Flour
Chives
Chicken Broth: You can use any form of broth or stock including vegetable based.
Heavy Cream: You'll only need ½ cup of heavy cream to give it that creamy texture; however, you can also use half&half or milk if you want to lighten up the calories a bit.
Shredded White Cheddar Cheese: White Cheddar cheese pairs nicely with the cauliflower, but some other options might be Swiss, Gruyere or Havarti.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Roasting the Cauliflower
Cauliflower by nature has a strong, bitter taste. Though you can use fresh or frozen steamed cauliflower, roasting will give you a more pleasant taste. By roasting the cauliflower first, it will caramelize leaving you with a sweeter tasting vegetable.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Start by cutting the whole head of cauliflower down into florets by removing most of the stems and leaves. The smaller you cut them, the quicker they will take to roast. Rinse under cold water, drain; then add to a baking sheet.
Add the sliced garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil; then season with salt and pepper. Place in the preheated oven and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is light brown and cooked through.
You can roast the cauliflower up to 2 days before you're ready to prepare the soup. Now you're ready to make the cauliflower soup!
Make the Cauliflower Soup
Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat; then add the flour to form a roux. Next, add the chicken broth, pre-cooked roasted cauliflower and chives.
Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pulse the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Add the heavy cream and shredded cheese and mix until the cheese has melted and the soup is creamy. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Storage
Once cooled completely, the cauliflower soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an air tight container.
VISIT THE RECIPE INDEX TO SEARCH FOR MORE RECIPES BY CATEGORY.
More Cauliflower Recipes
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White Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- Immersion Blender (or regular blender)
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh cauliflower (approx. 4 cups florets)
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- tablespoon chopped chives
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- If using a whole head of cauliflower, you'll need to cut it down into florets by removing most of the stems and leaves. (The smaller you cut them, the quicker they will take to roast.) Rinse under cold water, drain, pat dry; then add to a baking sheet.
- Add the sliced garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil; then season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is light brown and cooked through.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over high heat; then add the flour to form a roux. Add the chicken broth, pre-cooked roasted cauliflower and chives.
- Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pulse the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add the heavy cream and shredded cheese and mix until the cheese has melted and the soup is creamy. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
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