Quick & Easy Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Loaded with cheddar, cauliflower and all kinds of vegetables, this cauliflower cheese soup is super creamy without having any cream added and it's quick and easy. Super indulgent while being completely healthy. 

This soup just might be a food group all it's own. It's super cheap, healthy, keto-friendly and filling enough to be a meal by itself. But if you do want to add some bread or rolls then who are we to argue. You can skip adding the croutons and the pancetta, but it really does take this soup from good to WOW!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup
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Ingredients needed

• Cauliflower- forms the base of the soup and makes the soup cream when it's blended
• Courgette- add body and nutrients to the soup. And maybe the only time you can trick your kids into eating it!
• Carrots- adds a deeper flavour to the soup. Because cauliflower and courgettes are so mild in flavour this soup needs something like carrots to complement it.
• Onions & garlic- these form the base of any good soup. The sauteed onions bring a lot of rich sweetness to the soup.
• Thyme- the herb that pushes all the other flavours to the forefront and makes them all they can be.
• Vegetable stock- you can use chicken stock here for a richer flavour or keep it vegetarian.
• Pancetta- smoked or unsmoked- skip the pancetta if you're making this soup veggie.
• Double Gloucester (or any cheddar)- the cheese is the real reason that we're even making this soup.
• Seasonings- chilli powder, mixed spice- these spices might sound a little strange but I just ask you to trust. Believe me. These will make your soup shine!

Step by step directions

Step 1 & 2

• Sweat the onions in some olive oil until they are soft, translucent and turning very sweet. This should take about 10 minutes. Don't rush this process. It really is a key part of building flavour in a soup that would otherwise be very mild tasting.
• Add in the chopped cauliflower, courgette and carrot. Give it all a good stir to coat the veggies in the oil and let them saute for a couple of minutes.

Step 3 & 4

• Pour in the stock (made from a stock cube) into the pot and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a sharp paring knife.
• Once the soup is cooked, use an immersion blender or an upright blender to blend the soup. It's not going to look pretty. Trust me. Once you add the cheese and it starts to melt into the soup, some strange kitchen alchemy magic happens and the melted cheese turns the soup silky and smooth. 

Step 5 & 6

• Add the spices to the soup and stir in. Adjust the seasoning and add the cheese. Give everything a very good whisk.  If you like a thinner soup, you can add some milk or even water works here.
• If you're having this with the pancetta, then heat a nonstick skillet with some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pancetta and gently fry until golden and crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel. Tear off some chunks of bread and brown them in the pancetta fat until golden. 

How to store and freeze this soup

This soup is perfect for making ahead and/ or freezing for later. Just let the soup cool completely before packing it into freezer bags or containers with an airtight lid. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

To reheat it, thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat directly from the freezer over low heat on the stovetop. Or you can always use the microwave. If it looks like the soup is starting to separate then just use a whisk to bring it back together or use the hand blender and give it a quick whizz. This will re-emulsify it and you'll be back to a smooth creamy soup in a minute.

More easy (and comforting) soup recipes

• Broccoli & stilton soup
• Slow cooker vegetable soup
• Butternut squash & sweet potato soup

Tools used

1. Immersion blender
2. Soup pot
3. Freezer bags for storage

Recipe

Quick & Easy Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe

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• Author: Deborah Thompson
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 Servings 1x

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Description

Cheesy, creamy and easy. This cauliflower cheese soup is the perfect thing for lunches of light dinners. It's cheap to make and so cheesy.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 small head cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 small carrots, chopped
• 1 courgette, chopped (no need to peel)
• 250ml whole milk
• 750ml vegetable stock
• 100g shredded cheddar, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder

For serving

• 35g pancetta lardons
• 1-2 slices sourdough bread for croutons

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Instructions

1. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a soup pot over medium heat. Sweat the onions until they are soft, translucent and turning very sweet. This should take about 10 minutes. Add in the chopped cauliflower, courgette and carrot. Give it all a good stir to coat the veggies in the oil and let them saute for a couple of minutes.
2. Pour in the stock (made from a stock cube) into the pot and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a sharp paring knife.
3. Once the soup is cooked, use an immersion blender or an upright blender to blend the soup. Add the spices to the soup and stir in. Adjust the seasoning and add the milk and cheese. Give everything a very good whisk.  If you like a thinner soup, you can add some more milk or even water 
4. If you're having this with the pancetta, then heat a nonstick skillet with some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pancetta and gently fry until golden and crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel. Tear off some chunks of bread and brown them in the pancetta fat until golden.

Notes

1. For this recipe, I used whole milk which really helps to make a rich and creamy soup. You can use lower-fat milk to keep calories down, or you can upgrade to cream for something richer. If you go with cream, maybe reduce the amount and up the stock by the same amount you reduce the cream by.
2. Let the soup cool completely before packing it into freezer bags or containers with an airtight lid. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
3. To reheat it, thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat directly from the freezer over low heat on the stovetop. Or you can always use the microwave.

• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: British

Keywords: soup, budget recipes, cauliflower cheese

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