roasted cauliflower soup

As the dry leaves crunched beneath my walking shoes and sudden gusts of cold wind made the remaining ones fall from the trees like confetti, I knew it was time to bring out all the soup recipes. A warm, comforting bowl of soup sounded like the perfect meal when I got home!

Walking back, I kept coming up with combinations for different kinds of soups…most of which were my standard fare…..sauteed onions and garlic, some vegetables and tomatoes, maybe some lentils or beans and then some spices.  The kind that were dependable and fail-safe.  But then I remembered the roasted cauliflower soup I had made when U. was here that was so good that I needed to make it again.  I had a cauliflower at home and this seemed like a good time to write down the recipe for myself and share it on the blog 🙂

I remember just throwing some ingredients together the last time and I think I made it the same way this time too.  Except for the onion….I kept one out to add to the vegetables for roasting and forgot to put it in!  It still tasted delicious but you might want to add an onion when you are making it.

This soup is so simple and yet so flavorful. And so creamy without a drop of cream….the secret ingredient being the potato that roasts along with the garlic and cauliflower.  I think the other trick to this soup is the roasting which really intensifies the flavors and also brings in a subtle sweetness.

You can top the soup with any toppings you like and I think the fun part always is when you customize it to your taste buds!  I had some beet greens left over from my beet smoothie and some purple yams so I roasted the yams with the vegetables and used the greens to make a pesto.  Speaking of the pesto, at the cost of bragging…..I have to tell you it was so good that I have already planned on some spaghetti for lunch tomorrow…just so that I can have some more of it.  With cashews, some basil and garlic, this one is a keeper 🙂

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Printable Recipe

1 medium head cauliflower

1 medium potato, peeled and sliced

2 large cloves garlic with skin

1 small white onion

approx. 1/2 tsp dried thyme

sea salt/salt and black pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cups water or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Separate the cauliflower into large florets.  I also sliced each floret into halves.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 1 1/2 tbsp of the oil and transfer to an oiled cookie sheet.

In the same bowl add the sliced potato and 1/2 tbsp olive oil and toss.  Add this to one side of the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle some salt and bake at 400 degrees F for 20 mins.  Pierce the tip of a knife in it to make sure the cauliflower and the potatoes are cooked.

Let it cool to room temperature.

Pop the garlic cloves out of it’s skin and blend everything in the blender with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock to make a thick soup ( I used the Vitamix),  You may need to add some more of the water.

Transfer to a stockpot or any vessel large enough to hold it and add the remaining water/stock and season with salt, black pepper and thyme.  Bring to a boil.

Serve with toppings of your choice.

2 cups Beet Greens, loosely packed

1/4 cup raw cashews (or any kind of nuts)

2 cloves garlic

3-4 fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it a couple of times until minced.  Add the cashews and pulse until the cashews are broken to smaller pieces.

Add the beet greens, salt and pepper and pulse it again a few times.  Then with the motor running, add the olive oil slowly through the feed tube. The texture of the pesto should not be too smooth.