Roasted Cauliflower Soup (Gluten and Dairy-free)
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
A delicious cauliflower soup, where roasting the cauliflower first is key!
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets
- 3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- 1 sweet Vidalia onion, sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 TBSP Earth Balance Vegan Butter Spread
- 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 TBSP olive oil until lightly and evenly coated in oil. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet and season lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is soft and caramelized, around 30 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Step 2 In a large soup pot, add 1 TBSP olive oil and saute the onion for about 5-10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Step 3 Remove the baking sheet from the oven and scoop the cauliflower into the pot. Then add the broth. Increase the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
- Step 4 Carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Add the Earth Balance butter and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and cinnamon, blend again. Now carefully add the almond milk, a little bit at a time, until the soup has reached it’s desired consistency. Add additional salt, to taste – but don’t be stingy! Salting the soup is almost as important as roasting the cauliflower.
Whoever told you that cauliflower is “so last year” could not be more wrong. Cauliflower is most definitely still having a moment and this recipe is living, eating proof. I can’t even tell you how many requests I got for it after I posted the pic of my latest batch. Maybe it’s just that it’s officially soup season and everyone’s craving it, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s dairy free – but whatever way you slurp it, there is no arguing that this soup is insanely delicious.
Marc gets all the credit for the inspiration on this one and here’s the backstory: We were addicted to the Trader Joe’s brand Cauliflower Soup for years. It’s seasonal, so whenever it came on the shelves, I bought it like it was going out of style. We legit look forward to it every year! So, this fall, along comes November and I walk into TJ’s all psyched for the soup. And unbeknownst to me, they stopped carrying it all together! No warning, no nothing, no soup… WTF?! I find it hard to believe that I was the only one buying it, but I guess it wasn’t as popular as I thought. Major bummer!
But we stayed true to one of my Grandma’s favorite mantras – “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Marc suggested we make it ourselves, so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on this recipe and voila! We now have our very own bona fide Cauliflower Soup and today I’m sharing it with you! It’s not exactly like TJ’s version, but quite honestly, I am excited to tell you – it’s even better! It’s creamy (but there’s no cream!), it’s rustic, and it’s just so darn addicting. I think the real secret here is roasting the cauliflower – genius right? So why don’t you put it to the test and let us know what you think!
