Soup season is our time to THRIVE. I am here for it and Soup Sundays are about to become a "thing" in our house. I'm making some form of soup every weekend for the foreseeable future. It's going to be the star of the show on Sunday with some garlic bread - and then I'm using it for quick lunches for the rest of the week.
First up on my Soup Sunday series is this Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Soup. It's EVERYTHING. First let's just start by saying that if you're not roasting cauliflower, and cooking it some other way, you're missing out on life. Roasting Cauliflower is what gives it that deep caramelized flavor that you just can't say no to. It's so good. Almost candy like... kinda like those potatoes from earlier this week.
Once you've got the Roasted Cauliflower prepped, the rest is super easy. Everything goes into a pot and simmers away developing even more flavor. The soup gets finished off with some cheese... duh, and some butter to make it extra velvety. Although you could skip the butter if you're so inclined.
It's going to be your new go-to. And it freezes really well! Make a double batch, portion it out, pop it in the freezer and you're sitting pretty!! Side note: If you love this recipe, you will also LOVE my epic Potato Leek Soup and Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe. Check it out!
Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite-size floretscut into bite-size florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
- ½ cup shredded manchego cheese
- finely chopped chives to garnish
- crumbled homemade breadcrumbs to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Transfer the cauliflower florets onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until evenly coated. Space the cauliflower out in a single layer and season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway to make sure it’s evenly roasted.
- Once the cauliflower is done, heat the remaining olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the yellow onion and season with salt. Saute, until the onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth.
- Transfer the cauliflower to the dutch oven. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- After 20 minutes, add the cheese and butter remove the pot from the heat and let the cheese melt for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Taste and add the lemon juice and stir to combine, adjusting the salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve and garnish as needed.
If I make this a day before (for thanksgiving), what’s the best way to reheat and serve?
low heat in non-stick pot
If i want to make this in crockpot for a teacher's luncheon, do I double everything and cook as directed but just heat up in the crockpot for serving?
haven't tested it that way so can't say for sure! please report back if you do! xoxo
How long would you say this keeps in the fridge? And then how would you go about cooking it from the freezer. Thanks for your awesome recipes!
3-4 days in the fridge!! and freezer - you can re-heat in a non-stick pot over low heat
Hi there, I have a very hard time finding Manchego cheese, what would you suggest as a substitute?
white cheddar would be delish
This soup is AMAZING! I had no idea it would be so rich and flavorful, but Gaby just nailed it, Really a perfect cauliflower soup!
Made this last night and it was to.die.for. It was so rich and creamy—I'd have this any day over a potato soup. And I am officially obsessed with manchengo cheese now. Thank you!
OMG - Gaby this soup is amazing! I just realized I forgot to add the lemon juice though ...ugh. Not too late though since I am just taste testing when I thought I was finished. I had some veggies I had to use up so I made this soup along with your butternut squash soup simultaneously. Both soups are ridiculously delicious. I spent 2019 fighting oral cancer, with many months not eating or having any taste buds due to radiation and chemo. The buds are back somewhat but will never be the same or as good. So for me to say your recipes are amazing means more than you know. Thanks Gaby for making food enjoyable again.
Hi! What could be a good substitute for the manchego? Thanks!
white cheddar
Excellent soup and super easy to make. Looking forward to next week’s Soup Sunday already
I made this today using Fontina cheese because it's what I had and we're self-quarantining for a immune compromised family member. This is my new favorite soup! Although, I usually love all soups equally but this was enjoyed by our whole family including my husband who is cauliflower adverse. Looking forward to the time when I can make it with Manchego as your recipe directs. I did sorta-kinda mess up and added a teaspoon of dry mustard meant for another recipe I was making at the same time but we all enjoyed it immensely and it's on our weekly winter menu. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
LOVE roasted cauliflower! Can't wait to try this recipe. Another great "topper" idea: Make pretzel croutons: Cube a pretzel roll, add to sheet pan & mix with a bit of EVOO & salt & pepper. Put it into a 425° oven for 5 min. Stir halfway through. YUM!!! It will be difficult to get them on the soup since you will be popping these into your mouth straight from the pan
This was amazing!!! I saved some of the roasted cauliflower to add at the end. I also used white cheddar cheese. Delicious!
Have made this recipe once already and it's on the menu again tonight and being doubled so I can feed my family of 5 and bring to a friend who just had her 3rd baby. Such a delicious soup and cannot wait to have it again!
Best soup ever!
Made this soup recently and it was delicious! Cooked up bacon and crumbled on top which really added to the soup! The original recipe only feeds about two people. Would need to double everything if going to make for 4.