Cauliflower Soup
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I was on a mission to come up with a vegetable soup that was creamy, but also dairy free. This recipe for Cauliflower Soup was the answer. It is velvety, smooth and fulfilling.
We make this soup all the time and one bowl is enough to satisfy your hunger. It’s also great for when you have leftover sour dough bread or stale bread at home to make homemade croutons. Use some of the thyme-infused olive oil from the recipe to coat the croutons before you put them in the oven for an added flavor boost.
The Ingredients
Cauliflower is the star of this soup. When you prepare it, just know that the smaller you chop it up, the quicker it will cook. I cut it into bite-size pieces, using a 9-1/4" French Chef.
Since cauliflower has a mild flavor, the soup gets a flavor boost from infused olive oil. It’s made by adding olive oil and sprigs of fresh thyme to a pan to heat up on low for a few minutes. Then, it’s removed from the heat to cool for use later.
Onion and tarragon add more aromatic flavor to the soup. To chop the onion, I like the 7-5/8" Petite Chef. Its sharp blade cuts through the onion without crushing the cells inside that can cause you to tear up.
Use the same knife to shop the tarragon. The sharpness of the knife is important so that it cuts cleanly through the delicate herb without crushing its leaves.
The 7-5/8" Petite Chef is also a good knife for chopping the garlic.
Making the Cauliflower Soup
The onions are sautéed in butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven and then seasoned with the tarragon and thyme. At this point, you should start to smell that amazing aroma coming from the herbs.
The pan is deglazed with vermouth, then the chicken stock, garlic and cauliflower go into pan to cook until the cauliflower is fork-tender. Add in that delicious thyme-infused olive oil before blending the soup up in the pan with an immersion blender.
Give the Cauliflower Soup some crunch by adding in some homemade croutons. Then, add a touch of lemon zest and a swirl of the infused olive oil to top it all off.
My favorite thing about this recipe is how quick and easy it is, and that it’s a creamy soup without the dairy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil, divided
- 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 3-4 tablespoons vermouth
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Seasoned sourdough croutons, for garnish
- Lemon zest, for garnish
Directions
- Start by infusing the olive oil. Add 3/4 cup olive oil and the sprigs of thyme to a pan on the lowest heat and let sit for about 6 minutes. Let cool completely and remove sprigs of thyme.
- In a Dutch oven, sauté the onions with butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the onions with tarragon and thyme.
- Deglaze the Dutch oven with vermouth and add the chicken stock, garlic and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes or until a fork can pierce the cauliflower easily.
- Add 1/4 cup of infused olive oil (can add more if needed) to the soup and using your immersion blender, blend the soup until it has a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper.
- To plate your soup, top it with homemade sourdough croutons, lemon zest and the remaining olive oil to taste (optional).
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