Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Creamy dairy free soup made with superfood cauliflower to warm you up on a cold night.
Soup is good food. Especially healthy soup made with a mere five ingredients.
This quick and easy Roasted Cauliflower soup recipe is one that I found in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. Except their recipe had butter and heavy cream; I’ve de-Paula Deened this recipe so that it is the pure delicious essence of a vegetable without all kinds of unnecessary other ingredients and flavors.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cups water or stock
- Place whole head of cauliflower in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Rub cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt
- Add ½ cup water to the dish
- Bake uncovered at 350° for 1 ½ hours, or until a knife cuts easily through the core
- Remove cauliflower from oven and allow to cool
- Coarsely chop and set aside
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
- Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes
- Add cauliflower and 4 cups water or stock
- Simmer until cauliflower is very soft, about 10 minutes
- In a vitamix
puree in very small batches until smooth
- Transfer back to pot and bring to a simmer
- Serve
Cauliflower is one of my favorite foods. A cruciferous vegetable, it is full of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and healthy fiber.
Here are some other healthy cauliflower recipes:
Do like cauliflower? If so what are your favorite cauliflower recipes?
Posted on January 19, 2012 in soups and vegetable soups
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I love having another use now for cauliflower! Thanks for a great (and simple!) recipe.
I love to do this although I usually cut the head of cauliflower into smaller pieces, add a little olive oil, salt, pepper and sometimes so garlic powder or cayenne and roast the pieces under they’re golden brown. Then i add them to the broth and sauteed onions and cook until they are soft enough to blend. Although I’m sure the cauliflower gets perfectly roasted this way too. It just takes longer. :)
I love cauliflour simply steamed and then mixed with leek and potato and covered with a lovely vegan cheeze sauce. P.S Just wanted to say how much I loved the visual simplicity of your blog, so many blogs get overcrowded, and I too have been trying to keep mine nice and simple (though i still have a newbie blog so it makes that easier to do!)
Yum! Love the simplicity of your recipe! I love mashed cauliflower and I recently tried this recipe from Living Without magazine for roasted garlic, cauliflower and celeriac soup. I left out the gluten-free croutons, and it was fantastic. Plus, the garlic smells heavenly as it roasts in the oven.
http://www.livingwithout.com/recipes/roasted_cauliflower_celeriac_soup-2639-1.html
Mmmm…the chive oil (from the original recipe) looks pretty good too. Isn’t it amazing how much better things taste when you just let them be themselves?
I *love* cauliflower. It’s a beautiful sub for high-carb potatoes and rice. It’s delicious by itself and yet it can play well with other foods. Cauliflower is the delicious winner of my food beauty pageant. :O)
What is the calorie content for Cauliflower soup?
Curious, since you test all things every which way, why not chop the cauliflower before baking? Is there a particular reason? And, yes, it’s a favorite. Thanks!
Wow Elana, I’m shocked and quite dissapointed. Your “I’ve de-Paula Deened” comment was a low blow, and totally uncalled for.
Not everyone likes Paula Deens style of cooking & baking, not everyone likes your style of cooking & baking, nonetheless they both exist for people to choose from. Yours is not to judge who’s cooking & baking that should be.
I don’t have any Paula Deen books, I’ve never cooked a Paula Deen recipe. I do however believe Paula Deen is good person who genuinely cares about others.
I also believe Mocking/dissing a fellow cookbook author as you have done, is petty and mean.
There was no need to associate Paula Deens name with this recipe, as it is not her recipe.
A simple, “I’ve adjusted the fat & cream suggested by Bon Appetit” would have been more appropriate.
Reading your entry has been a major dissapointment. My thoughts of Elanas pantry, have changed completely.
I totally agree! I do not watch Ms. Deene’s shows, do not make her recipes but do not believe she should be slam blasted by another author. Shame on you Elana. The comment was uncalledfor!
Aaahh, don’t be mad at Elana. Everybody knows that Paula Deen represents cream and butter. Often (always?) in her show as she’s adding a cube of butter or a cup of cream to her recipes, she says, “and maybe a touch more,” and adds another cube or cup. It wasn’t a slam, per se, it was like using a verb, de-Paula Deened.
I feel the same as Latia. When I read, “I’ve de-Paula Deened this recipe…” I knew exactly what she meant. It was perfectly descriptive of what she did to the recipe (if you have ever watched Paula Deen cook).
If you watch the Food Network you may have noticed Bobby Dean (Paula’s son) has a new show called “Not My Mama’s Meals”. In that show he is trying to de-Paula Deen his mom’s recipes (by making them leaner and lighter).
And I find it very curious at how much reactivity there is towards Elana from Jay, Frances and herbalchef. There is always something to learn from one’s own reactivity, if one is curious enough.
I so agree. I didn’t experience it as a diss at all, just descriptive. C’mon this is a private blog. I want for Elana to be able to have a personality without being so careful that she has to be sanitized. Elana cooks differently than Paula Deen. God help us if we always have to be politically correct.
I love cauliflower and have just cooked up a batch of Ina’s chicken stock — six delicious quarts which I’ll use in this recipe.
Amen.
Could not agree more. I am perplexed.
I want to clarify I agree with Jay’s comments.
You silly people… How easy it is to offend some of you these days! There is no sign of malice in Elana’s comment, but you are pretty offensive (and not very accurate) in sharing your opinions about it. You should become educated about Paula Deen and her cooking; anybody that watches her on tv knows that she the heavy use of butter and cream in her recipes is a trademark quality of her cooking. It is one of those comments that reasonable people understand, and we roll our eyes and dream of the days when we ate like that and enjoyed it without remorse! (Before many of us were educated about food and nutrition, or before we discovered that we’re bothered in some way by diary or gluten.) How about demonstrating your intelligence by being understanding in your attitude toward comments and like this, rather than leap to offense.
I agree. I got peeved at first, then thought about it and realized it’s a harmless comment. Then again in itself eating butter and heavy cream is not bad (if one can eat dairy without issues). Butter is a very healthy fat. And I don’t believe it’s to blame for Paula’s problems. All that sugar on the other hand cannot be good for anyone.
“How about demonstrating your intelligence by being understanding in your attitude toward comments and like this, rather than leap to offense”
@krisy
How about you demonstrating your intelligence by understanding it was in extremely bad taste for Elana to mock/diss Paula Deen, when she had nothing to do with a recipe Elana garnered from Bon Appetit.
Paula Deen is not perfect, Elana is not perfect. You are not perfect, I am not perfect. None of us are perfect. We all have different ways of doing things, eating, cooking & baking included. Not one of us has the right to mock/diss another for not doing things the way we do.
Bottom line.. Paula Deens name should never have appeared in Elana’s posting. It was uncalled for, mean, & disrespectful.
Jay, you seem a little het up over nothing much…chill out dude coz you’ a tad over sensitive and lets get back to the fantastic cauliflower soup.
LOL!
I agree with Annie.
I think Paula Deen and all of us (especially people like me who are battling truly serious health issues), would be better off not worrying about semantics and whether or not you are protecting rich (and fat/unhealthy) celebrity foodies (who are making a ton of $) and take a peek at the video on this website. http://www.terrywahls.com. Take the time to watch the video she created for Ted.com about mitochondria and your heath/diet choices. And maybe consider adopting some of the ideas on the video. Or get Dr. Wahls’s book. And instead of sniping at Elana, be greatful for the health that you have, and get a grip. And enjoy the great, healthy recipes on this.
*meant “grateful” of course, typo error.
Here’s a great link to Dr. Wahs’s video presentation. http://www.terrywahls.com/current-information
“greatful” is the perfect typo for this food blog!
Thank you for the Terry Wahls link!
AMEN!
Hey, lighten up a bit. I knew exactly what she meant with the comment. It wasn’t said in a derogatory way, just as an offhand comment.
wow are you seriously going to rag on Elana for saying something about Paula Deen? She just commented on how her version is healthier…don’t get your panties in a twist.
I don’t soup gets any easier than this-can’t wait to make this recipe!
Such a slow roast sounds like the makings of delicious cauliflower! Very concentrated flavors, I’m sure. I also like to add cashew butter for a little extra heft.
I love cauliflower soup! I did see a recipe from a vegan blogger who suggested using brazilian nuts to make soup creamy–I tried it–it was lovely….
Thanks for this wonderful, simple recipe. It was delicious, much better than I expected. I did what Megan did and cut up the cauliflower first, then covered in olive oil and salt and roasted about half the time (45 minutes). It gets a great, caramalized flavor when roasted. I will definitely be making this again (and again). Thanks so much!
Hmm..I see a lot of potential for a wordly kind of soup made with this one. I can already envision this soup with exotic spices.. Love the simplicity.
I love your Mediterranean Blue Le Crueset. I have the same one and I think it’s calling me to make this soup.
The color is so perfectly bisque-ish! The mere act of De-Paul Deening anything makes the world a slightly better and healthier place.
Oh, now, don’t be dissin’ Miss Paula! ;)
If ever people know me and my cooking well enough to use my name as a verb I’ll know I’ve made it! No matter their opinion of my style! (I know my 19 year old would happile de-bridge my recipes by putting the sugar back in, fine by me!)
I made a soup just like this last week which I saw on Tarlette. It was fab. I love your bright blue dutch oven!
Looks delicious! A stick blender works as well as a VitaMix if you have one. Makes the texture so smooth. Thanks for another great recipe!
I love soups! Crockpot, stovetop, takeout – I love them all! This looks especially comforting with all the cold weather we’ve been having lately.
Thank you! I’m struggling to find ways to eat more cauliflower and this sounds lovely.
This is so funny- I literally just made cauliflower soup yesterday- and lo and behold, so did you! Must be the cold weather.
My younger sister was recently put on a very restrictive diet, so I had to come up with a recipe she could eat but would still enjoy. The result was very like potato soup, but without potatoes. I added onion and egg yolks for creaminess, and sprinkled the pureed soup with cheese and bacon. I quite enjoyed it, and the rest of the family did too.
I also love roasted cauliflower “popcorn,” which is a great healthy alternative to traditional popcorn while watching a movie.
Mary, how do you make cauliflower “popcorn”? I’m intrigued….
Me too! I’ve never heard of Cauli Popcorn.
Going to make this soup tonight.
Wow this recipe couldn’t be easier. I do love cauliflower especially because it’s so diverse. My favourite ways to prepare it are roasted with olive oil in the oven, steamed and mashed with potato for a lower carb treat, or used as a gf pizza base!
Sarah, really used as a pizza crust, I would love to know more. thanks, tracy
Thank you Elana! I love cauliflower too. I never thought to make cauliflower soup after having a horrible experience with cauliflower soup at a restaurant. Now after see your recipe, I want to give it a try.
Yes, we all understood exactly what you meant, Elana, by de-Paula Deening this recipe. It means no butter or cream – no high fat – little cholesterol. I often look at Ina Garten and wonder what her health problems are, too. She’s all into French food, but the French don’t look like that. We’d probably all be shocked at their LDL numbers.
I love butter and cream and do use it sparingly because I don’t have to be as austere as Elana and her family must be because of health issues, but the sooner we all learn that vegetables will help us with our health issues more than any other food, Americans will be better off. I dropped my cholesterol over 30 points in a short time by concentrating on vegetables and reducing animal fats. Vegetables don’t raise cholesterol; fat is not an issue, and they taste good with just a little help. Green beans – 50 calories to a cup. Salsa – low calorie and almost no fat. It takes a while to change. But Americans are smart, and eventually, we’ll get there. I believe in us.
Just my thoughts, GiGi
Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables too and this recipe looks so easy. Will try this weekend. Thanks, Elana.
Deb
Hi there,
While your recipe is fine — I would add a substitute milk instead of the water to make it richer — the Paula Deen comment was uncalled for especially you got the recipe from a leading gourmet magazine and not from PD.
Elana, please continue to raise people up as you are good at doing, not put them down.
Thank you for your time.
I mean “especially SINCE you got the recipe…”.
Heading out to cauliflower in a bit. This looks good. Thanks for sharing, Elana.
Made this – sooo good! Mmm.
Its my favorite veggie!!! Thank you will make it this weekend!
Never thought to roast cauliflower this way. I added a can of coconut milk and topped this with some crumbled bacon – divine, divine, divine! My daughter suggested adding clams (and lobster) to make it a non-dairy GF clam chowder or seafood bisque.
Molly,
That sounds amazing! & is exactly what I was thinking about doing! Glad to hear it turned out well- can’t wait to try it!!
Hi,
I thouht I would share some information exclusive to the state of Colorado (so far). My local Vitamin Cottage informed me yesterday that bill HB1060 goes up for vote at the end of January. This bill would basically put our diatery needs in the hands of the American Dietetic Association. No longer would we be able to inlist advice from naturopaths, fitness trainers, weight loss centers, complimentary medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, or herbalists, as this would allow the “dietician” board to seek monetary and criminal sanctions against anyone it deems is practicing “dietetics” without a license. This could potentially spill over to Elana’s amazing site. Please, if you live in the state of Colorado, look into this bill, and follow-up with what you decide is the best action to take! Our nutrition should remain in our own hands and our own choice!
Awesome! Here’s my ?: do you need to soak your cauliflower before cooking it to get out any grubs/dirt that would be in btwn the tight little florets? If so, just in water? salt and water? vinegar and water? thanks to anyone who knows!
Elana,
Your doing a great job. You do CLEAN food…meaning less fat and more heath. I personally love the recipes you have as an alternative to foods. Sometimes I have to de-Elana some recipes for myself as I have multiple allergies. Changing things around a bit doesn’t make it a bad recipe and I don’t think you would take offense by my saying so. You even have said so in the past to “adjust it for your needs”, which I do. I think that if someone is so sensitive they should look elsewhere, where their delicate feelings won’t be accosted.
I have made this very soup the exact same way…(made me laugh because I said to myself…see, I’m as hot as Elana). It is simple, direct and to the point. I love the simplicity of the recipe, although I did use a dollop of sour cream and chives on top.
This is soup is amazing! I just made some and I am enjoying a cup of it right now! Cant believe there is only 5 ingredients in this! This has got to be some of the most delicious soup I have ever had! Thank you for sharing this wonderful and healthy recipes! :)
Wonderful simple recipe. Made it today and roasted the onions with the cauliflower. I cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces to get more browning/flavor. Turned out great! Thanks Elana!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It was a hit when I took it for a soup pot luck today! Definitely will be making this again!
Looks Yummy! De-paula deened simply means like she said sans butta,butta, butta oh,and cream. Elana certainly meant nothing by that I am sure. Do ya think people are senstive because she is now diagnosed with diabetes? I love Paula, but would never cook like she cooks everyday or eat like she cooks on her show everyday. common sense:)
This soup was delicious! Elana, thank you for all your wonderful recipes:) I will make this again!!
Elana:
I have celiac’s and suspect that I have a food allergy as well. It has been difficult to pin down but I will be seeing an allergist and having food allergy testing on 2/1. I was wondering how you researched diets in dealing with auto-immune issues. My understanding is that Paleo is a good solution for you and makes a big difference in how you feel. Have you used elimination diets to try and isolate problem foods?? Any advice or directions you can point me in would be greatly appreciated. I love your blog and cookbooks. Keep up the good work.
My favorite way to eat cauliflower is roasted cut into pieces, core & leaves & all, sprinkled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and whole cumin seeds. I throw in sliced shallot or sliced garlic midway through cooking so it doesn’t burn. It only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
I think I’ll make a double batch next time, half of it into soup.
I made this the other night and it was delicious!!! I chopped up the cauliflower before roasting it, and added some whole cloves of garlic to roast as well. Then I topped the soup with some blue cheese and bacon crumbles. It was amazing! I’m having the leftovers for lunch today and I’m so excited!
Okay, it was even better today. All the flavors have had time to combine, and i can really taste the garlic now, although it’s still very mild. I will be making this soup again and again! Thanks for a non-boring cauliflower recipe!
I’m not a huge fan of raw cauliflower…and until recently, didn’t even know it had much nutritional value. I guess that white color threw me off. Your soup sounds delicious! This is cauliflower I know I will love.
Hey Elana,
This recipe looks awesome. I love cauliflower, and I’ve been trying to find ways to eat lots of vegetables a la the Terry Wahls version of paleo/primal.
Have you seen this video? It is definitely worth 18 minutes of your time if you haven’t.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc
Hi Elana,
just wondering if you’ve ever cooked soup right in the vitamix… this one could probably work? Just saute the onion and throw it all in? I am new to my Vitamix and looking for soup recipies.
Thanks!
I made a Paleo version of Cauliflower gratin with bread crumbs from your sandwich bread! It was amazing and creamy!
Well Im not usually an onion fan, but this sounds like it would be really good with cauliflower as the base!
I normally hate cauliflower (texture thing I think) but I made this soup for my wife and I and it was wonderful… Ended up drizzling top of the soup with chopped green onions and a little lite cheddar cheese …
Sounds like a great soup! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Hi there! love cauliflower and love soup….think I just found a great recipe – Thank you!
Wow – weird, I made a similar soup myself this week – but I added in a head of roasted garlic. I think this might be my new favorite soup! http://tasty-yummies.com/2012/01/31/creamy-roasted-garlic-and-cauliflower-soup-gluten-free-and-vegan/
Yours looks super duper creamy! Yum.
This was delish. I had a lot of organic garlic and a few bulbs of celeriac. So I roasted a head of garlic, too, and sautéed celeriac with the onions. I blended it all in a pot with a blending stick. It’s just great.
Comment: I just saw Beth’s comment and my soup looked a lot like hers. I loved her call to add red pepper flakes.
Thanks Jan! I always love an excuse to add those delicious red pepper flakes! One of my favorite things in my spice rack :)
I love cauliflower smashed with garlic. I cannot wait to try your soup!
These recipes are so delicious and easy! Having a husband in the service and three children, but needing to cater to a child with Celiac Disease this website has been so helpful! Kids are enjoying the food, thank you!!
i am SUCH a fan of cauliflower. this sounds right up my alley!
oh i just bought cauliflower today and was trying to decide what I’d like to do with it!
Great recipe! Much better than I had anticipated. My hubby loved it and has asked for it again so making for the 2nd time today. Super easy to make, makes a ton and delicious. Thanks!
That’s a wonderful idea. I want to make Roasted Cauliflower Soup. =) It’s so healthy, and I KNOW it would be delicious, too! Do you have any suggestions for extra herbs?
I made this recipe twice and found it a little bland, so I took the suggestions of some of the other commenters and added the chive oil and roasted garlic – YUM! Makes a huge difference, this is one of our staples now.
I’m trying to avoid running to the store today & have all the ingredients other than olive oil. I do, however have some coconut oil hanging out in my pantry. Do you think it would work in this soup?
One of my FAVORITE recipes. This recipe so easy and delicious.
Amazing! I also roasted the cauliflower and used some garlic powder. Probably one of the best soups I’ve had! Who knew how creamy it would be!
Used garlic infused sea salt on the cauliflower while it roasted. Amazing soup! So easy, filling and not bad for you. Winner all the way around!
Thanks I was looking for a recipe without milk or cream…this one is perfect
This is the best soup for a dairy free diet! My husband even loves it!
I just made this recipe. I love it because it is so simple and smells wonderful while roasting. I added the whole onion next to the cauliflower to roast and pureed it all in a simple mixer with the required water. Following the rest of your instructions to finish it up and it was, presto, ready to eat!!