Creamy cauliflower cheese soup
To be honest, ‘cauliflower soup’ isn’t a phrase that would usually make me swoon… at least, not until now. This creamy cauliflower cheese soup is the kind of soup that barely even makes it into the bowl.
Try a spoonful straight from the pan, just to check seasoning (perfectly sensible) –> immediately need another because it was so delicious –> ‘just one more’ –> somehow there is no soup left in the pan.
If you have enough self-restraint to actually be able to serve this soup in bowls, you should definitely, definitely make it. It’s thick, it’s creamy, it’s cheesy. It’s even pretty healthy, despite how it may look! It contains no cream at all, and if you choose a really good quality mature cheddar, a little will go a long way.
I used Black Cow, which is a crumbly mature cheddar produced in Dorset. I discovered it a couple of weeks ago when I spent a very happy few days in a fab house not far from Dorchester, thanks to the lovely people at holidaycottages.co.uk. Loads of food bloggers in a house for the weekend + plenty of local Dorset food + wine by the bucketload… we were happy campers.
As you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram, the house was absolutely stunning, and the food was just as good. I do want to give a quick shout out to a few of the local suppliers who kept us fed – these are only a small selection of my favourites but there were many more, and it made our weekend so special knowing that everything we tried had been produced locally.
– Dorset Fine Dining – who cooked us an amazing three course dinner, and were baffled at the sight of fourteen food bloggers taking photos of every course (the only time it’s actually a compliment when people have their phones out at the dinner table).
– BethellBridge Bakery – who served us a stunning afternoon tea and inspired plenty of bickering about which should come first, the jam or the clotted cream (I’m on the clotted cream team).
– Black Cow – who gave us some of their intriguing vodka made from milk (!), which somehow tasted exactly like normal vodka. The whey is used for the vodka, and the curds make the lovely cheddar I used for this cauliflower soup.
– Goldhill Organics – who didn’t mind us all tramping round their beautiful organic farm, and told us all about their veg boxes. The incredible homemade apple cake went down a treat too!
– Purbeck Ice Cream – for their deliciously intriguing beetroot sorbet.
Thanks again to holidaycottages.co.uk for organising the weekend, it was a blast!
If you decide to give my creamy cauliflower cheese soup a go, try to choose good quality ingredients like I did. It’s only a simple soup – it doesn’t have dozens of ingredients – but if you choose well, it will be super tasty. I topped mine with a few more crumbles of that amazing mature cheddar, and a some homemade croutons (the crunch goes so well with the creamy soup!). I haven’t included the croutons in the recipe because they’re really easy, and totally optional in any case – but if you do want to make some, just cut up a slice of bread, toss it in a little oil with some salt and pepper, and bake until crispy. Easy peasy.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I did spend a lovely weekend in Dorset free of charge thanks to holidaycottages.co.uk, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.
Creamy cauliflower cheese soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium head cauliflower, cut into chunks
- 1 medium potato, diced fairly small
- 500 ml vegetable stock (~ 2 cups)
- 250 ml water (~ 1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- Black pepper
- 100 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 cup grated)
- Homemade croutons and fresh parsley, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the chopped cauliflower and diced potato, along with the vegetable stock, water, dried parsley, and plenty of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cook for around 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
- Turn the heat down low, and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.
- Add the grated cheddar (save a little back for garnish, if you like), and mix until the cheese has melted. Serve warm, topped with any remaining cheese, and some homemade croutons and fresh parsley if desired.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above does not include croutons.
Just used up a cauliflower in my fridge and added a leek. It was delicious and easy to make. Definitely make again.
Thanks Deb!
Would colored cauliflowers work well with this recipe as well?
I don’t see why not, it will just come out looking a different colour! :P
Indeed, I have tested it yesterday. It was delicious and attractive to the eyes, especially for the kids xD
great recipe, thanks for sharing it <3
Oh great, so pleased you liked it! :)
I love cauliflower cheese as a comfort food, so putting it in a soup too sounds amazing.
I love cauliflower cheese but I would never have thought to make soup with those flavours. Can’t wait to try it!
This has my name all over it! I love soup, cheese, and cauliflower. Adding this to my must make list!
Hope you like it! :)
So Yummy..
I like it..
Thanks for post.
The food blogger wkd with Holiday Cottages sounds like a fantastic opportunity to get to know local suppliers and meet other bloggers. I have to say cauliflower soup is not one of my fav’s but this does look and sounds lovely:)
Give it a try, it was so much nicer than any other cauliflower soup I’ve had! :)
Never tried such type of a soup before and me and it looks delicious and healthy
This actually sounds really nice. I like most kinds of soup but I’ve never tried cauliflower. In fact, I would probably avoid it but you make it sound so good I will definitely have to give it a try.
I kind of agree, cauliflower soup isn’t something that would have particularly tempted me before. It was so good though!
I love cauliflower soup, yours looks rich and creamy and delicious.
This looks lovely. I’ve never tried it before but I’m just getting into cooking with cauliflower so I’m keeping this recipe in mind! x
I’ve really become obsessed with cauliflower in the past year or so, there’s so much you can do with it!
I already like cauliflower cheese soup, and usually make it vegan (I know, I know), but I know what you mean about getting a real good tasty cheese and then you can use less and keep everything healthy. I was SOO jealous of your trip as I was invited to go but it was just too far You all seemed to have had a ball. And all of that food…. *sigh*
It would have been great if you’d come! Maybe next time!
I have never had Cauliflower Cheese Soup but I really want to try this now as it sounds delicious:-) Love the name Black Cow for a cheese too!
Oh my god yes this is my favourite soup in the world and your soup looks exceptional. I cannot wait to try it.
This sounds great!
This looks so healthy and yummy. My kids would love this.
I’ve never considered cauliflower as a soup base, but it sounds delicious. Plus I love cauliflower cheese ;)
Cauliflower is so good as a soup base! Especially with the added potato, it goes super creamy :)
Yum, this is my kind of soup. I’d love to make some homemade croutons and try it out.
I love cauliflour cheese soup and this recipe makes it seem quite easy to make, I might have to give it a try myself x
This cauliflower cheese soup looks amazing. I love cauliflower cheese but would never have thought to make a soup version.
Oh my goodness this sounds amazing – I have such a love for cauliflower cheese – but I’ve never had it as a soup. x
This sounds amazing and so does your coconut chowder! Yummy! H x
I love cauliflower soup but never managed to make it very well, however, I think that your recipe could be a winner!!
Becca! This looks soon fabulous!!!! Creamy…cheesy and full of cauliflower goodness! DELISH!
This looks like such a lovely healthy recipe, I adore cauliflower so this soup is right up my street! Your weekend away sounds fab!
This sounds like a dreamy, creamy soup! Such a comforting bowl of yum.
Cauliflower cheese is one of my favourite homey dishes but I’d never thought of mixing it up in a soup! I’ll pass this onto my mum as she is chief soup maker in the house :)
It’s much easier to make in soup form too ;)
Love cauliflower cheese soup and I bet this one is a dream made with such a fab cheese. It was such a fun weekend. Can’t believe how much we managed to eat, then again …
I absolutely love Cauliflower soup, don’t think I’ve ever had it with cheese before. I’m going to bookmark this recipe for the next time I fancy it and I’ll give it a go :).
I love the fact that it has croutons on top to give it that extra crunch. Looks very tasty :)
The croutons take it to the next level! They’re so easy to make too, so there’s no excuse not to :)
This is a real favourite of mine, cauliflower is made to be eaten with cheese in all forms it works!
They really are made for each other aren’t they – cauliflower has such a mild flavour on its own that it just cries out for a bit of cheddar :D
I love cauliflower soup with cheese, it’s really delicious but I don’t make it that very often as I don’t think it’s that healthy but it’s nice to have it once in a while as part of a balanced healthy diet.. I need to have it with croutons next time, didn’t realise they were so easy to make, thanks!
It’s not that unhealthy really, only a handful of cheese in the batch :) And you could always use a little less if you prefer!
Yes, you are probably right, I guess you could make it as healthy or as unhealthy as you like.. :-)