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Creamy Cauliflower Soup ~ Deliciously fresh, healthy, creamy and satisfying and low carb too!
If you’re thinking, “oh pooh … cauliflower soup, how completely boring! Â I would much rather see a triple layered, chocolate-mocha, peanut butter, whipped ganache, cotton-candy drizzled, cheesecake stuffed with mascarpone fluffernutter?” Â Yup me too – I’ve got that recipe coming next week! Â But seriously – are you with me?
 
This creamy soup is anything but boring. Â Some cauliflower soup recipes call for copious amounts of cheese or cream which can mask the sweet, nutty flavor of this wonderful white vegetable. Â This soup starts with sauteed leeks and onions.
A small amount of florets are set aside and browned in a few tablespoons of butter. Â The crisp florets are then tossed with white balsamic vinegar and generously garnished with fresh ground pepper and salt. Â These little gems are spooned on top of the creamy fresh soup, then drizzled with a little bit of the browned butter and fresh chives. Â This is one of those recipes you will want to take all the way!
Healthy (other than a little butter), tasty, creamy (with no cream), hearty and fresh – hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do!
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Deliciously fresh, low carb, creamy (but no cream!) and satisfying
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 leek, white and light green parts only halved, washed and sliced thin
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
- fresh ground pepper
- sea salt
- 5 cups water, plus another ¼ cup if needed
- ½ teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
- fresh chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- Trim the outer leaves from the head of cauliflower. Trim around the core and remove to a cutting board. Remove the tough outer layer of the stem then slice thin. Set aside.
- Cut enough florets (½-inch pieces) to generously fill a 1 cup measure. Set aside. Cut the remaining cauliflower into ½ inch thick slices.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add 3 tablespoons butter. Heat over medium-low heat and add the leek, onion and 1 ½teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring frequently under the leek and onion are tender but not brown.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add 5 cups of water, the sliced core and half the sliced cauliflower florets. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the remaining sliced cauliflower, return to simmer and continue to cook until the cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15-20 minutes longer.
- While the soup is cooking, melt 5 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved 1 cup of florets and cook until they are golden brown and the butter solids are starting to brown. Turn the florets frequently until done, then remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Drizzle the browned florets with the balsamic vinegar and generously season with salt and pepper. Do not discard the browned butter as you will use it to garnish individual bowls of soup.
- One the soup vegetables are tender, carefully transfer the hot mixture to a blender. Puree the soup until completely creamy - about 1 minute, depending on the power of your blender. Pour the soup back into the pot and heat just until simmering. Add a little water if needed to make a smooth creamy soup. You don't want it to look like runny mashed potatoes, or be too thick.
- Serve in individual bowls garnished with the browned florets, a drizzle of browned butter, salt and pepper to taste and fresh chopped chives.
Recipe Notes
(Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated September, October 2013 edition)
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Â Â Tricia
Magda Fourie says
Hi Tricia
Could you kindly explain to me what your reasoning is about cooking half of the sliced cauliflower for 20 min and then later adding the rest to cook for some 15 to 20 min? Why not cook all at one time.
Would like to hear your explanation.
Thanks, Magda
Tricia Buice says
Overcooking half the cauliflower helps the soup achieve a creamier consistency without adding cream. The remaining cauliflower adds texture and flavor. Hope that answers your question.
Lillian says
Excellent easy to make that whole family enjoyed.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Lillian! We love soup this time of year. Glad everyone enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Megan says
Made this as my first course for Christmas dinner last year, and we ate around our backyard fire pit, in the snow. It turned out just as pictured – Beautiful presentation and amazing flavor! I took the liberty of adding white cheddar, and it was a perfect addition.
Thank you for sharing!!
Tricia Buice says
That sounds amazing Megan – thanks so much for the suggestion of the white cheddar – sounds perfect! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and thank you for trying our recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
I've been traveling and somehow I missed this post Tricia, what a fabulous looking and sounding soup! Who would have know that cauliflower could be so exciting?!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
Great soup and I love cauliflower soup. I've never tried white balsamic but I should! And Martha? I blog to keep me writing and learning and some day my kids will maybe know more about me. It also keeps my cooking fresh and I love comments, too! But really I look at it as an online journal and filing cabinet. And it anyone else finds it interesting, that's OK, too! I think Martha just had
Mary Callan says
this looks and sounds wonderful! I just bought a beautiful cauliflower from the farmer's market today – can't wait to eat this soup tomorrow – bookmarked!<br />Mary x
Susan Dikeman says
This looks and sounds delicious! Cauliflower is my favorite veggie and is a staple in my house!<br /><br />I'd like to invite you to the Favorite Family Recipes Virtual Recipe Swap I am hosting on my blog– come check it out at http://www.thefoodette.com<br />Hope to see you there!<br /><br />*Susan
Wendy says
I really think Cook's Illustrated needs to put you on commission, Tricia. I swear that issue arrived at my house. I truly flipped through it and noted anything that should go on the make soon list. And moved on. Had I seen a soup that looked and sounded anything like this cauliflower soup it would have gone on my make immediately list ( as it is now…this weekend for sure)! I love
Daniela Grimburg says
I completely agree with you ,Tricia, cauliflower is not boring at all and has a wonderful flavor.<br /> It's a great idea to spice it up with leeks,onions and Balsamico.<br />Love this very refined soup!
Sue/the view from great island says
Oh Tricia this looks fabulous, right up my alley. I'm getting into soup mode these days, the California temps have dipped into the 80s!!
Kari Lindsay says
Tricia, this soup is not boring at all! Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, and makes yummy soup. I'm digging the roasted florets on top, pretty and tasty!
Monica says
No, no…not boring at all! Hard to believe sometimes but I don't actually eat chocolate and cake all day long and it is savory foods like this that nurture us. : ) I love soups of almost all kinds and I love cauliflower. I know I would love your delicious soup.<br /><br />As for blogging – I heard about those comments but I choose to focus on the positive and not spend much time dwelling
Anna and Liz Recipes says
Soups are never boring and, we LOVE Cauliflower soups- all kinds. And yours looks so delicious we could eat the entire pot of this soup! Yummy recipe, thanks for sharing!
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow says
1st, that cauliflower soups looks WAY more appealing to me right now than sweets. I love cauliflower and soup fits the bill for this nasty cold. Just wish I felt like fixing it. ;)<br /><br />2nd, I really look forward to reading that article. Sometimes, I just want to stop blogging… but, I just can't leave behind my "friends" I have so enjoyed through blogging. Though most
Angie Schneider says
Boring? Not for me….it looks super to me. These days I basically live on pumpkin soup, it's time to have a little change. Thanks for sharing, Tricia.