A Little Cheesy

So I've got a head of cauliflower and it's cold as scadoodle out, therefore...soup anyone? I've never made cauliflower soup before but I'm pretty sure this one will be a keeper because it has a very equitable cheese to vegetable ratio. No kidding, my Man loves cheese and has developed a truce with the lowly cauliflower so I'm living in the land of culinary confidence...for now anyway.

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
{Adapted from Naturally Ella}

{Printable Recipe Here}

Here's what we're cooking with:
1 medium head cauliflower
2 TBSP olive oil (or coconut or canola)
2 cloves garlic
a pinch of thyme (to your taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (same as above)
3-4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for topping

Here's what we'll do:
Turn your oven on to 400˚. Grab that head of cauliflower and cut it into small pieces, a little smaller than you might find it on a vegetable tray. Cut the head in half and then in half again.

Cut out what is left of the main stem and at that point you can pretty much begin to use your hands to tear the cauliflower in to small pieces. Don't get too persnickety, the end result is a smooth soup, so it really doesn't matter if they are all perfectly sized and shaped at this point. Do try to keep them in the same size zip code though, if only for the sake of even roasting in the oven.

Place the cauliflower pieces on a rimed baking sheet and drizzle a tablespoon or so of coconut or olive oil over the pieces and then stir them about a bit so that each piece gets some oil.

Throw some salt and pepper onto the cauliflower and place it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until it's just beginning to get brown on the edges. You'll know when it's finished because it will be soft and tender when you sample that first piece off of the tray. If it's finished, quickly add it to the soup, if you do not, you will eat it like candy and there won't be enough for your yummy soup. You should guard it well, roasted cauliflower is terribly addictive.

While the cauliflower is roasting you'll need to get your garlic, give it a whack to get the papery stuff off of it then cut it into tiny little pieces.

{Or you could grab that little jar of minced garlic out of your fridge, either way is great!} Place the other tablespoon of oil into your soup pot and heat it over medium heat. Add the garlic and and cook for one minute and not a second more, you don't want to burn the garlic...yick!

Add the broth and the seasonings to the soup pot and add the cauliflower after it has finished roasting.

Bring the soup to a boil and boil for a minute then allow it to simmer for 8-10 additional minutes.

While you're waiting for the soup to boil, you might warn your Man that he's probably going to want to go shopping for more cauliflower as soon as he tastes this soup because he's gonna want you to make more of it. He may or may not tell you not to hold your breath.

After the soup has simmered, remove it from the heat and using a blender or an immersion blender (I just got one for Christmas!!) puree the soup. If you are using a blender, work in batches and let the soup cool a bit first. If you don't, you may have an explosion in when you turn on the blender. I speak from experience.

After blending, taste it and adjust the seasonings let it cook for a few more minutes then add the cheese!  Stir until smooth and serve it up with additional cheese on top if you like!

Cole and I added Sriracha {rooster} sauce in a very modest amount to add a little kick to this ultra creamy and belly-warming soup which is easily worthy of a comfort food ranking except that it lacks the fat and calories that usually accompanies such dishes. It has the feel and taste of a creamy cheesy potato soup with out any of the cream and butter!

The Cheesy Cauliflower Soup was a hit here...except for you-know-who who thought that it "tasted too much like cauliflower." Thankfully, I was not holding my breath!

Enjoy!