Baked Cauliflower Soup

Warming up the hearts of loved ones during the holiday season with this delicious heart-healthy soup. I absolutely love making my own soup because it contains less sodium and knowing all the ingredients within my soup. I also prefer making my own veggie broth because it’s so easy to do and it’s less expensive than buying veggie broth. It is extremely simple to make and a pot of soup can easily serve up to 6 people.

This soup is a perfect addition to a group dinner or if you need to pack lunch to work. It’s simple and easy to make if you’re on a time restriction. I usually make this cauliflower for lunch and that’s enough to feed my boyfriend and I for 2 days!

This is the perfect soup to keep yourself warm during the cold winter months!

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES     ||     COOKING TIME: 60 MINUTES

Ingredients:

6 cups of water

1 cup of chopped 2″ celery sticks (approximately 4 long sticks of celery)

1.5 cups of chopped carrots

1 medium Cauliflower (chopped into medium sized florets)

1/2 tsp of thyme (can use dried or fresh thyme)

1 medium sized bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp of soft margarine (can use butter as substitute)

1 medium size onion (chopped)

Cooking Instructions: 

Baked Cauliflower & Carrots:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. place the butter, 1 cup of carrots and cauliflower in a baking dish and toss to coat the vegetables.
  3. sprinkle some salt and pepper on the carrots and cauliflower so it will absorb in all the flavour.
  4. Bake it for 30 minutes and make sure you turn the dish half way to avoid burning on one side.
  5. Take it out and set it aside when it’s ready.

Vegetable Broth:

  1. In a medium pot, set the stove to medium-high heat and pour in all the water.
  2. Place all the celery and remainder of the carrots into the pot.
  3. Bring the broth to a boil and turn down the heat to medium.
  4. Let the broth simmer for 20 minutes to absorb all the flavour. Make sure you cook the veggies until they’re tender.
  5. Place the pot aside when it’s ready.

Cauliflower Soup:

  1. In a large pot, set the stove to medium heat and pour in 1 cup of vegetable broth.
  2. Put in the onions, thyme, and bay leaf and combine well.
  3. Continue cooking and mixing until the onions are cooked and looking brown – approximately 5-8 minutes.
  4. Pour in the remainder of the vegetable broth including the celery and carrots – combine well with the onions.
  5. Place all the baked cauliflower and carrots into the large pot and mix well.
  6. Turn down the heat to low-medium and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes to absorb all the flavour.
  7. Now, remove the bay leaf and discard it.
  8. Turn off the heat and set the large pot aside.
  9. Using a hand blender (or regular blender), purée all the ingredients in the pot to create a thick soup base.
  10. Now, place the soup back onto the stove and set the stove to low-medium heat.
  11. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  12. Make sure you do a taste test to see check the flavour of the soup.
  13. Turn the heat off and your soup is ready to be served!

Serve your soup with a side of fresh bread (Tastes amazing with a slice of baguette or sour dough bread) OR Melba Toast (thin and crispy sliced toast) which is an excellent pairing to the soup.

**Hint: You can also use a variety of side dish such as Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, pan fried potatoes, or a salad as an excellent alternative.