Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup

On cold days, my grandmother would often make soup. It might be gray, cold, and dreary outside, but inside the house it would be warm and bright, and the windows would fog up. Eventually, little rivulets of condensation would run down the insides of the windows. I loved how that looked, because it meant that we were warm and cozy and safe inside the house. And there would be soup.

If there was soup, there would almost certainly be homemade biscuits or cornbread. And as long as the oven was on, there might even be pie. Soup days were the best.

A cold front came in the other day, so I made soup. I started out to make potato soup, but remembered there was a head of cauliflower that really needed to be used. So it became cauliflower potato soup, with a couple of carrots added for color. 

This soup is thick and creamy and satisfying. That's one of the great things about using your blender- you get the creamy texture and taste without actually using any milk or cream or butter. I had planned to include some cream or butter in the recipe, but it just didn't need it. You could always add a little if you wanted a richer taste. 

Don't be concerned about the rather long list of ingredients- most of it is seasonings.

Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts

* 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
* 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into approx. 1 inch chunks
* 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into approx.   1 inch slices (basically, you just want all the veggies cut in pieces about the same size, so they'll cook evenly and get done at the same time)
* 2 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth (I used low sodium)
* 1 and 1/2 cans water (chicken broth can)
* 2 teaspoons jarred minced roasted garlic
* 1 bay leaf 
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* shredded parmesan cheese, for topping
* other toppings as desired, such as bacon, parsley, etc. 

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes (you might want them "crisp tender" to eat, but in this case, we're going to put them in the blender, so we want them fork-tender).

Remove pot from heat. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Working in batches (half a blender container at a time), blend the soup just until smooth. Taste and correct for seasonings. At this point, you could add 3 or 4 tablespoons of cream, or a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil, if desired.

Print Recipe

Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese

It makes enough to share :)

Subscribe to Yesterfood by email: