Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup (healthy recipe!)
Make restaurant-quality, ultra creamy cauliflower soup thats secretly healthy too with this simple Roast Cauliflower Soup recipe. Featuring deeply flavorful roasted cauliflower florets, tender white beans, fresh veggies, and plenty of aromatic seasonings, you'll fall in love with this hearty, perfectly cozy, 8-ingredient healthy soup recipe!Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl (for seasoning cauliflower)
- 1 Large Rimmed Sheet Pan (for roasting cauliflower)
- 1 Dutch Oven or Large Saucepan (for cooking soup)
Ingredients
- 1 large Head Cauliflower – cut into florets (about 2 ½# Head)
- 2 TBS Olive Oil (or Neutral Oil, such as Canola or Vegetable)
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin - DIVIDED
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika - DIVIDED
- 1 tsp Chili Powder - DIVIDED
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt - DIVIDED, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper - plus more to taste
- 6-8 Slices Center-Cut Bacon – diced into ½’’ pieces (OPTIONAL) (SEE NOTES)
- 1 small Yellow Onion – small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large Jalapeno – stemmed, seeded and small dice (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 large cloves Garlic – finely diced (about 1 TBS)
- 1 (15.5 oz.) Can Cannellini Beans – rinsed & drained
- 4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- ½ - 1 Cup Half and Half - to taste (SEE NOTES)
- Optional Garnishes: Pico de Gallo Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, , Cilantro, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Lime Wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Arrange oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 425-degrees Fahrenheit (or 400F convection). Next, line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up and set it aside.
- Season Cauliflower: Place the cauliflower florets into a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the cauliflower in the oil. Next, sprinkle 1 teaspoon cumin, ¾ teaspoon paprika, ¾ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper all over the cauliflower. Then toss well to thoroughly coat the cauliflower with the seasonings.Roast Cauliflower: Transfer the seasoned cauliflower florets to the prepared sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast, turning the cauliflower over once during baking, for about 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden and caramelized. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Start the Soup - Using Bacon: Add bacon to a Dutch oven or stock pot and place over medium heat on the stove top. (Tip: start the bacon in a cold pot). Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and crispy, about 8-12 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set the bacon aside. Blot or pour off all, except about 1 ½ tablespoon of bacon fat. -OR-Start the Soup - NO Bacon: If you don't want to use bacon, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of neutral oil in the pot over medium heat until shimmering. Once the oil shimmers, go to next step (adding veggies).
- Add vegetables: Return the heat to medium and add the onions and jalapeños. Season with ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add cauliflower, beans, and stock: To the pot, add the roasted cauliflower, cannellini beans and stock. Give everything a good stir and then increase the heat under the pot to high to bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.Simmer Soup: Simmer the soup - UNCOVERED - for 10-12 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very tender.
- Blend Soup: Turn the heat off underneath the pot. Then use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth and very creamy. (Alternatively, you can transfer the soup in batches to a stand blender, puree, and transfer back to pot). Add half-and-half: Return the pot to the stove-top over LOW heat. Stir in the half and half and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until soup is hot throughout. Taste the healthy cauliflower soup and adjust the seasonings as you see fit.
- Serve: Ladle soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle the reserved bacon over the soup and top with your favorite garnishes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Bacon: I use center-cut bacon because it is leaner with less fat. However, you can absolutely use your favorite variety of bacon in this soup!
- To make this vegetarian: Omit the bacon from ingredient list and skip step #3. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to sauté onion and jalapeños in step #4.
- Spicy Level: If you don't like a lot of heat, make sure you remove ALL the seeds and the ribs from the jalapeno before dicing. If you prefer a bit of spicy heat, leave some of the seeds and ribs intact!
- Half-and-Half: I use low-fat Half and Half; however you can use whatever you can use full-fat or heavy cream if you prefer a richer mouthfeel!
- Blender: If you are using a stand blender to puree the soup, make sure you puree the soup in batches to avoid the hot soup from exploding out of the blender. Hot soup will steam and expand in the blender, which will push the top off of the blender (hence causing a soup explosion), so always make sure you puree in batches and avoid filling the blender all the way to the top!
Nutrition
Calories: 115kcal Carbohydrates: 11g Protein: 6g Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 7mg Sodium: 513mg Potassium: 613mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 370IU Vitamin C: 68.7mg Calcium: 61mg Iron: 1.1mg