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.

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5 from 2 votes

Creamy cauliflower cheese soup

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Servings: 2

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.

Course: Soup

Author: Becca Heyes

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above does not include croutons.

Fan of creamy soups? My creamy coconut corn chowder is always a hit!