Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

What on earth are you doing posting a soup recipe during the dog days of summer?!? Yes, I can hear you. But trust me when I say that this soup is worth making all year round. The past few days have been rather mild compared to last year when I thought I would certainly melt. We've had cooling rain showers that have left us with soup-worthy temperatures at night and this easy, fast cheesy roasted cauliflower soup was the perfect solution to my midsummer's soup craving. I used orange cauliflower in place of regular white to help trip my brain into thinking there was lots of cheesy goodness when in reality I was quite conservative. A dash of cream and a drizzle of olive oil made a perfectly lovely soup fit for a weeknight meal or the first course at a dinner party. 

One of my favorite ways to make soup is to toss all the veggies on a roasting tray and let the oven do the work. That way I can do more exciting stuff like, ya know, fold laundry and do the dishes. Once the veggies have a nice, golden color and are exploding with flavor, I toss them in a pot with some broth and bring it all to a simmer before puréeing everything with an immersion blender. This is the same technique I use with my Butternut & Coconut Squash Soup.

Even if you wait until fall arrives to make this soup, I hope you'll file it away and give it a try because it is so. totally. worth it. It has no added sugar and is so creamy and flavorful you'll forget you're eating so many vegetables!

You're welcome.

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 head orange cauliflower, cut into florets (white cauliflower will work as well)

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup loosely packed shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Drizzle a large rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil. Use two baking sheets if you need to so your veggies aren’t crowded.

3. Spread the cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic onto the baking sheet and toss gently to coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and golden brown.

4. Transfer the vegetables to a soup pot and add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook for at 15 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until very smooth.

6. Return to low heat and stir in the cheese and cream. Stir until the cheese is completely melted then add the vinegar. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with a drizzle of oil, some fresh herbs, extra salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes.