Creamy, velvety cauliflower soup that is rich, deeply flavored, but only has two ingredients and no cream? How is that possible? The secret is to roast sweet onions and cauliflower in aluminum foil packets, until they become tender and collapse in their natural sweetness. The vegetables’ natural sugars caramelize and deepen the soup’s richness but without the fat.
To keep the cauliflower flavor at the forefront, we also cook some cauliflower in water. Then, we blend them all together: roasted onion, roasted cauliflower, and steamed cauliflower, until smooth. So, we get the pure flavor of steamed cauliflower and the rich, caramelized flavor of the roasted cauliflower and onion. Finally, we roughly chop toasted smoked almonds for a crunchy garnish and add minced parsley for freshness and bright flavor.
When you have a lackluster soup, build layers of flavor by cooking a vegetable two ways.
- Roasting vegetables adds depth and caramelization.
- Steaming vegetables adds purity and simplicity.
Try this recipe for creamy cauliflower soup with roasted onions and you’ll be amazed at how just two ingredients combine for a velvety smooth puree without cream.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Onions
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This two-ingredient cauliflower soup is made with roasted sweet onions that add a rich, caramelized flavor and cauliflower cooked two ways: roasted for depth and steamed to retain the cauliflower's pure flavor. For a third ingredient, add smoked almonds for crunch. Vegan, fat-free, and totally delicious.
You'll Need...
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 sweet onion, like Vidalia or Walla Walla
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Optional garnishes: roasted almonds, fresh parsley
Directions
- Heat a 350 degree oven. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (to ensure easy clean-up if the cauliflower or onions leak juice).
- Cut cauliflower into florets and stems into chunks.
- On a second aluminum foil sheet, place half of the cauliflower florets in the middle and seal well. Similarly, wrap the onion in foil. Place both packets on the baking sheet. Roast for an hour.
- In the meantime, bring 5 cups of water and a pinch of salt to boil in a large stove pot. Add the remaining cauliflower florets and the stems, and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook about 25 minutes, until cauliflower is tender.
- Transfer the boiled cauliflower to a food processor or blender in batches (be careful not to fill it too full when working with hot soup). Puree until smooth.
- Unwrap the roasted cauliflower and onion from their foil packets. Discard the onion peel and trim ends. Add to blender in batches to prevent overflowing. Puree until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more liquid for a looser soup, if desired. The soup will thicken with time.
- For serving, garnish each soup with chopped almonds and fresh parsley.