Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
I think I tempted fate this spring when I said I was ready for heat this summer because our temperatures have been at a record low. Last week we had to wear jackets, jackets! So I made my go-to soup; yum, yum, yum. This soup is the number one reason I look forward to the fall (except of course for fall fashion, hello; new boots and new jackets). This soup is fast, filling and is great when the nights are getting cooler outside.
Serves up to 6
1 medium cauliflower, washed and broken up into florets
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1L Sodium-reduced stock
¼ cup Old Cheddar, grated
3 Green onions/scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
Salt
Pepper
– In a large sauce pot add the oil and heat over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (it will ripple) add the onion and season with salt and pepper, sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Drop the heat if the onions are darkening too quickly.
– When the onions are sautéed add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, careful not to burn the garlic.
– Then add the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any of the food that may be stuck (deglazing).
– Bring the stock up to a boil.
– Add the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper.
– Drop the heat to medium low and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.
– With a hand mixer, food processor or a blender (follow directions for hot liquids), puree the soup.
– Stir in the cheddar and green onion
– Taste and adjust seasoning.
Notes:
1. If you want to make this soup even heartier you can add one medium russet potato; peel and wash the potato and chop it up into cubes. Add the potato to the pot at the same time you add the cauliflower florets. I have made this soup with the potato and without; when adding the potato I found you needed to add more seasoning because the potassium in the potato absorbs a lot of the salt.
2. You can use any stock of your choosing; I used chicken stock.
3. To make this even richer you can add 1-2 tbsp of low fat cream.
4. If you don’t have a blender, hand mixer or food processor and can’t borrow one from a neighbour then 1) you should get one or 2) you could probably get away with using a potato masher to puree the soup.
