Roasted Cauliflower Soup #SoupWeek

My friend, Sue, of A Palatable Pastime has invited us to kick off the New Year with a week's worth of soups.  This worked out perfectly for me because I served a soup course each time I entertained during the holidays.  I was all set...photos were taken and waiting to be posted.....or so I thought.

The very first soup that I wanted to share was this creamy, nutty Roasted Cauliflower Soup that I served to friends during a dinner party held back on December 16th.  I have several recipes that I plan on sharing from this party including Crown Roast of Pork, Coquilles St. Jacques and Figgy Pudding. So I went into my photo file, punched in Roasted Cauliflower Soup and found this photo.

I had roasted my cauliflower, garlic and onions, added the seasonings and the chicken stock and put it on to simmer until all was nice and tender.  Then I put it into my handy dandy vitamix blender and pureed it to a smooth silky texture. I served it up as the second course of a five course dinner.  It was delicious.  We ate it all and I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished project.  I thought I had taken a photo but it is not in the file nor is it in any of the other files that I saved from that evening.  You will just have to take my word for it that it was a beautiful golden color, creamy and satisfying.  It tasted rich and decadent yet contained not one ounce of cream or butter, just a little bit of olive oil used to toss the veggies before roasting .

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Florets from 2 head cauliflower

1 sweet onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

2 T. olive oil

8 c. chicken stock

2 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Toss florets, onion and garlic with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in a 400* oven for 30-40 minutes, until fragrant and browned in spots. Remove from oven to a large soup pot.  Add chicken stock and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork.  Remove thyme sprigs and puree using a vitamix, immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender.  Return to pan, add more chicken broth if you desire a thinner consistency. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Rewarm gently if needed before serving.  Print Recipe

Be sure to check out some of the recipes below or you can follow along on FaceBook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram using the hashtag #SoupWeek. We also have a #SoupWeek Pinterest Board where you can see all of the offerings in one easy to access spot! What a great way to stay warm in cold weather!

• Asian Diet Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Grandma's Copycat Kelly's Cheese Soup from Cooking with Carlee
• Rotisserie Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder from The Frugal Pantry
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Delicata Squash Soup with Curried Chickpeas and Onions from Caroline's Cooking