Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Cheesy Cauliflower soup combines onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and cauliflower in a lightly seasoned cheesy broth topped with bacon and buttery breadcrumbs. The end result is a hearty soup full of natures goodness that is so satisfying and tasty.

It is finally soup season! I just love this time of the year and this is one of my favorite soups. A big bowl of this is a hearty meal all by itself but sometimes I like to serve it with Easy Sweet Maple Dinner Rolls or Cornbread.

How to make Cauliflower Soup

Start by heating a little bit of oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot. Then add the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onions and celery are soft. Now reduce the heat and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Then add the chicken broth and cauliflower. Bring to a low boil and cook until the cauliflower is fork tender.

Meanwhile in a small skillet over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Then add the butter to the skillet with the bacon and any residual bacon fat. Once melted add the bread crumbs and continue cooking until browned stirring very frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Now stir together about 1 cup of the hot broth and the flour. Whisk it into the soup and continue cooking until it has slightly thickened. Then reduce the heat and whisk in the shredded cheese about 1 cup at a time. If a thicker blend is desired use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree a portion of the soup. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cream and top with fresh or dried parsley or chives and a little bit of the breadcrumb mixture.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• Chop or cut the cauliflower florets into small pieces. Avoid the main stem of the plant as it is too tough.
• Simmer the cauliflower until is fork tender. That means when it is pierced with a fork it glides through with very little effort.
• For optimum flavor usse a good quality cheddar and use the finer side of the box grater so the cheese melts quickly and easily.
• Other spices to experiment with are turmeric, dried marjoram, fresh parsley, and fresh thyme. 
• You can use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree a portion of this soup to make a thicker base. If using a stand blender remove the fill cap on the lid so the steam can escape while blending.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container for up 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave at a reduced power.
• Freeze in heavy duty freezer zipper bags or sturdy freezer containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Five easy ways to thicken soup

There are many ways to thicken soup. I usually use either the roux method or a combination of these tried and true methods. This cheesy cauliflower soup recipe uses three of the methods listed below.

Flour Slurry – whisk 4 tablespoons flour with 1 cup broth or water until smooth and lump free (for every two cups of soup). Then whisk into the soup mixture. I usually combine this with at least one other method as you would need too much of it to really thicken a whole pot of soup. If you did that it would leave the soup with too much flour taste.

Cornstarch Slurry – whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon broth or water for every two cups of soup. Again I like to combine this with at least one other method. It can be combined with the flour method above even though they are both slurries.

Roux – equal amounts of melted fat and flour are cooked over medium low heat while whisking. Then the broth is slowly added while whisking creating a creamy thickened base for soup. This is one of my favorite tried and true methods and because the flour taste is cooked off it does not need to be combined with other methods.

Immersion Blender – use a handheld immersion blender or a stand blender to puree a portion of or all of your soup. Remember to remove the center cap from the top of your blender to allow stem to escape.

Heavy Cream – add a few tablespoons up to a cup to thicken soup and make it more luxurious. Add the cream at the end on very low heat or off the heat. I usually combine this with another method listed above to thicken the soup.

How to freeze soup

• Start by cooling the soup.  For a quick and immediate (especially for soups with pasta) cool down, place the pot in an ice bath and stir to cool. However do not submerge it or allow any of the ice water into the soup pot.
• Ladle the fully cooled soup into quart or gallon size freezer zipper bags.  Be sure to mark the bags with the date and the contents.  Keep in mind that liquids expand when frozen so leave about an inch at the top of the bag for expansion. On the other hand you don’t want it to get freezer burnt so remove any excess air.
• Lay the soup bags down in a single layer on cookie sheets and place in the freezer.  Once fully frozen stack the bags in the freezer to save on space.
• Thaw in the fridge overnight.  Reheat on the stove-top on low or in the microwave at a reduced power so as not to overcook any ingredients.

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