Home ยป Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup

Another day, another soup.

I’ve been sick since December 22nd. I remember this because we were heading back to Illinois for the holidays and I thought that it was kind of good and kind of bad that I was getting sick going into the holidays and time off work. But, I’m still sick. Not can’t-get-out-of-bed-would-rather-be-dead sick, just enough to cause me some annoyances like fatigue and trouble breathing.

And of yesterday, a fever. Hot…cold…burning up…freezing.

Monday night, I was pretty certain I was coming down with…something. I couldn’t breathe. Mr. Prevention (what a doll) decided to record a sound byte of me sleeping snoring and then when I rolled over in the middle of the night said, “Listen to yourself snoring!” and proceeded to play the recording of myself from his phone. It sounded something like this, by the way (cute link to Lily snoring right there).

He grumbled, headed to the guest bedroom, and we both slept soundly.

Anyways, soup has been what has sounded good. Between yesterday’s spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup and this creamy, rich-tasting Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup, it’s been a battle of some of the best in my kitchen.

If you think you don’t like cauliflower, think again. When roasted and then pureed with a bit of half-and-half, cauliflower becomes thick and velvety, and very rich in flavor. And if you think a head of garlic is too much, you’re just plain wrong.

A bit of wine and a HEAD of garlic. Incredible flavors are sure to emerge!

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Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup adapted from Good Life Eats and My Bizzy Kitchen

1 whole head cauliflower, cut into flourets
2 cups broccoli flourets
1 large garlic head (not clove!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup water
28 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fresh parsley, minced (optional)
1/3 cup half-and-half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine cauliflower and broccoli flourets in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Cut the top off of the head of garlic and wrap in foil. Place wrapped garlic on the baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower, broccoli, and garlic for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a cast iron dutch oven or medium-large stock pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Whisk in the salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and flour and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the wine and water, mixing to combine with the flour mixture. Slowly add in the vegetable broth. Add the bay leave. Remove garlic cloves from their skin and add to the pot whole. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and broccoli and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, add the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until pureed and smooth, or puree with an immersion blender in the pot.

Stir in the half and half and parsley. Cook until just heated through. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings (1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups each).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 193 calories; 8.5 g. fat; 7 mg. cholesterol; 449 mg. sodium; 21.3 g. carbohydrate; 6.5 g. fiber; 5.2 g. protein

Result: Fantastic! I thought it would be good, but it was great. The consistency is creamy and tastes very rich! I was shocked that such a small amount of butter and half-and-half took this recipe to the next level. Serve this with a slice of crusty bread and you may have a new favorite soup…even if you think you don’t like cauliflower or broccoli. 😉 Enjoy!

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Classes down at campus today which means it’s a shorter day for me 😀 Good thing – I may finally be up for a workout.

Stay well,

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35 Comments

  1. Grace@ FoodFitnessFreshair
    January 4, 2012 / 6:27 am

    I’ve been sick for what seems like forever too! It’s the worst…This soup sounds delish. Creamy soups are the best.

  2. Hezzi-D
    January 4, 2012 / 6:55 am

    It is so cold and snowy here today I’m dying for some soup! This looks thick, creamy, and delicious. I’m pretty sure it’s going on my menu plan for next week!

  3. Amy B @ Second City Randomness
    January 4, 2012 / 7:06 am

    Holy garlic! Surely that cleared you up a little?

    I hope you feel better soon- there’s nothing worse than that nagging sickness that just won’t die…

  4. Joanne
    January 4, 2012 / 8:26 am

    Being sick is the WORST…especially when you have someone shoving your snoring in your face. ๐Ÿ˜› I hope you feel better soon!

    I KNOW I love cauliflower and I KNOW I love garlic…so this is happening. Obviously.

  5. Angie (Sweet Natured Treats)
    January 4, 2012 / 9:27 am

    This sounds so good, and should work great for my husband’s lower carb lifestyle. Thanks so much for the recipe!

  6. Kristen (swanky dietitian)
    January 4, 2012 / 9:54 am

    This soup looks incredible! YUM!
    I hope you feel better soon! I hate that bit of lingering sickness. When you are ALMOST better, but not completely. So frustrating.

  7. Suzi
    January 4, 2012 / 10:09 am

    This looks like what we all need right now. Love the head of garlic. Hope you feel better soon.

  8. Heather
    January 4, 2012 / 10:16 am

    Feel better! I wish my husband would eat soup for a meal – because this looks delicious!

  9. Heidi @ Food Doodles
    January 4, 2012 / 11:54 am

    Aw, I hope whatever you have goes away! The cold I had before Christmas is still barely holding on. It’s not bad either, but I wish it would just go away! Love all the garlic in this! It looks delicious… I wonder if I could convince my hubby to give it a try, he loves garlic ๐Ÿ˜€

  10. Biz
    January 4, 2012 / 12:09 pm

    Did you get a flu shot this year Nicole? I swear, I’ve gotten one every year for the last 10 years and I haven’t been sick once. Of course, just by typing that last sentence, I am sure that I just jinxed myself! Feel better – and glad you liked the soup!

    I cleaned out my downstairs fridge over the weekend and realized the rest of my soup got overlooked and I had to throw the rest out – such a shame because it freezes so well!

    • Nicole
      Author
      January 4, 2012 / 2:10 pm

      I did not. ๐Ÿ™ I never get the flu shot. Guess I should change my ways because this is terrible!

      P.S. I just left you a note on Facebook, but I got the Skunkies today! YOU ROCK!!! I laughed so hard!

  11. Melanie
    January 4, 2012 / 12:23 pm

    This looks great!

    When recipes call for dry white wine, I never know what to use. Any suggestions?

    And do you think a bit of dried parsley would sub OK for the fresh?

    • Nicole
      Author
      January 4, 2012 / 2:09 pm

      Melanie: The important thing is to use something you like. I generally cook with Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, but because I like Pinot Grigio better, I tend to go with that : ) And yes, dried parsley will work perfectly – I hope you enjoy the recipe!

  12. Krystal R.@ {Mrs. Regueiro's Plate}
    January 4, 2012 / 12:45 pm

    Ahhh buddy, I’m sorry to hear that you are sick. But you are eating some tasty and warm, and hopefully it will get you back to your usual 200% self!!! Feel better friend!!

  13. Leah @ Why Deprive?
    January 4, 2012 / 2:16 pm

    Thats a long time to be sick! I hope you start feeling better soon.

    This soup looks amazing. Its pretty much all my favorite things combined into one bowl of deliciousness. ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. eatingRD
    January 4, 2012 / 3:57 pm

    oh no ๐Ÿ™ Hope you get to feeling 100% soon. I remember getting bronchitis last year and felt miserable for 5 weeks. No fun. That soup sure looks comforting though ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Cara
    January 4, 2012 / 5:16 pm

    you poor thing! Ben also slept in the guest room one night this week but that’s because he was sick. Now I think I’m getting something (different than what he had – I’ll take a cold over a stomach bug any day.) I definitely need to stock up on soup!

  16. thehealthyapron
    January 4, 2012 / 5:27 pm

    I’ve never been much of a soup person but lately? Seems I can’t get enough! This looks ecellent!

  17. Melinda
    January 5, 2012 / 1:50 am

    This sounds so good. I love soups. I also like that you used low sodium veggie broth. That is like my best friend in soup making. Hope you feel better soon.

  18. beti
    January 5, 2012 / 1:05 pm

    it has the right consistency! just how I love soups, it looks delicious

  19. Jen
    January 5, 2012 / 5:56 pm

    I’m still fighting a cold i got for Christmas (lucky me!) but it’s slowly on it’s way out. Zicam is excellent when you start taking it at the very beginning of a cold (my sister did and she’s totally better now) but I wasn’t so vigilant. Also, I read that blowing your nose tends to make a cold worse (not sure about a flu virus) and after I stopped doing that my cold actually seemed to improve a little. So I’m having lentil soup tonight and some positive thoughts about beating this thing for dessert…oh and a cookie or two as well. Hope you recover soon!

  20. Katie
    January 7, 2012 / 7:01 pm

    You are a genius – I just made this and had to let you know how much I love this soup! I followed your recipe exactly and it’s amazing. I think using an immersion blender is a huge time saver here and helps big time with the clean up. I just wanted to thank you for a creamy, thick, delicious and healthy soup. Leftovers will be perfect for work this week, I can’t wait! Also, I wanted to tell you that I made your mashed potatoes with cauliflower for my family for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them. They were requested again for Christmas dinner and I shocked everyone when I told them there was cauliflower in them! Keep up the great work and thank you again for the wonderful recipes:)

    • Nicole
      Author
      January 7, 2012 / 7:05 pm

      Katie: Thank you! That made my day ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for reading and I hope you find so more recipes you love!

  21. tel
    January 11, 2012 / 5:43 am

    Made this last night – so delicious…and so nice knowing it’s full of vegetables. I actually used smoked paprika, instead of normal paprika….kicks up the taste a bit!

    • Nicole
      Author
      January 11, 2012 / 8:12 am

      Sounds great to me…I’m all about big flavors. Glad you loved it! This soup continues to get rave reviews – I love it! Especially since it’s so, so healthy!

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  25. Melissa
    February 25, 2012 / 11:40 am

    I made this soup for the WC Recipe Swap and absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      February 25, 2012 / 5:19 pm

      Melissa: I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as us. It’s a little scary-looking but sooo good ๐Ÿ™‚

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  29. Yael Perez
    May 4, 2014 / 11:03 pm

    This soup sounds fabulous! I MUST make it ๐Ÿ™‚
    My only concern is that I’d love to share this with my sister who is lactose intolerant – can you suggest something to use instead of the butter and the half-and-half?

    xoxo
    Yael

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      May 5, 2014 / 6:54 am

      Hi Yael, that’s a tough one. You could use oil in place of the butter and maybe coconut milk in place of the half and half? No promises on how it would turn out, though!

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