Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Find more recipes at fussfreeflavours.com

No ratings yet

Toasty, tasty, totally cheesy and absolutely delicious, this easy to make cauliflower cheese soup recipe is also surprisingly light and made without too much cheese.

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Equipment

Stick / Immersion Blender (UK) Get one with the highest wattage you can, and ideally a steel shaft

Ingredients

1 large stick celery - or 2 small ones
1 potato
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove garlic - 1 fat or 2 small cloves
1 cauliflower - medium size
15 g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp Dijon mustard
500 ml stock - vegetable or chicken
200 ml milk - or oil
black pepper
150 g mature cheddar cheese - or other strong hard cheese

Instructions

First, prepare the vegetables. Trim and chop the celery and potato (if the skin in thinand clean, you don’t need to peel it). Peel, trim and chop carrot, onion and garlic.
1 large stick celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 1 clove garlic
Break the cauliflower into florets and chop the stalk and the ribs from larger leaves. Reserve any delicate green leaves to cook as you would cabbage for another meal.
1 cauliflower
Melt the butter or oil in a medium pot with a lid. Add the prepared celery, onion, carrot and potato and fry for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and fragrant. Stir constantly.
15 g butter
Add the turmeric and garlic and continue to cook for a further minute or two.
¼ tsp turmeric
Add the cauliflower, mustard, milk, stock cube/pot, and some water so that the vegetables are just poking out of the top. Don't add too much water. You can add more later if needed. Add a little black pepper.
1 tsp Dijon mustard, 500 ml stock, 200 ml milk, black pepper
Put the lid on and bring to a very gentle simmer for about 15–20 minutes. As the soup cooks, the vegetables will release water and collapse as they soften.
After about 20 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and tender. Use a sharp knife to check and cook a little longer if needed.
Remove the soup from the heat. Blend long and well to a creamy, smooth consistency using a stick blender.
Add the cheese and stir it in well to melt it but do not overheat the cheese. You can add a little more milk or water if you feel you need it. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
150 g mature cheddar cheese

Notes

Storage

This delicious cauliflower cheese soup recipe will serve four as a meal with some hearty bread, or six as a starter, so if you are making it for one or two, you will have a second serving for tomorrow or to freeze for later.

Fridge – Once cool, cover and store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to three days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.

Freezer – Transfer the cooled soup to airtight containers and freeze your leek and potato soup for up to three months. See notes on adding milk and cream in hints and tips below.

Reheating – Defrost your soup in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Reheat in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave. When using the microwave, I like to use a Pyrex-style jug as you can lift it out one handed and pour it out easily.

Hints and tips

Do be careful when blending soup. Using a stick blender is easier and in my view, safer. If you must use a jug blender, don’t use the bung.
Soups made with cheese need care when reheating. You can easily spoil the texture so go slowly.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.