Roasted Cauliflower White Cheddar Soup
Published: January 20, 2018 · Modified: August, 27, 2024 by Cindy Gibbs
This delicious Roasted Cauliflower White Cheddar Soup starts with freshly roasted cauliflower, and gets added flavor from sautéed vegetables and added creaminess from white cheddar cheese. It’s delicious!
When chilly fall days arrive, we start craving those warm comforting soups, and I can promise you this Roasted Cauliflower Soup is one of those soup recipes. It’s delicious, satisfying and comforting!
When it gets cold here in Kentucky, I have soup and stews on the brain. I don’t know about you, but I also love some good hot bread with my soup. If I’m making a thick and creamy soup like this recipe, I sometimes make my Homemade Bread Bowls, to serve the soup in. Other times, I make my easy No-Knead Dinner Rolls. They are great for dunking in soup!
I used white cheddar cheese in this recipe. I experimented with yellow cheddar, but white cheddar was by far my favorite. You might be surprised to know that in my Broccoli Cheese Soup, I used Monterey Jack cheese, since most cooks go for yellow cheddar. Oh, but if you tasted it I think you would love my cheese of choice.
Ingredients for this recipe
Cauliflower – You need about 2 pounds of fresh cauliflower for this recipe, rinsed, cored and chopped into small florets. You will need at least 1 large head or 2 smaller ones. Make sure the heads are fresh, with no browning on the outsides of the florets. Roasting the cauliflower in this recipe, give it an extra depth of flavor.
Carrots – Carrots are a great add in vegetable for cauliflower soup. We cooked the carrots for a few minutes in a small saucepan to make sure they were tender. They don’t seem to get tender enough when added with the celery, onion & garlic. Note: You can also choose to add the carrots to the baking sheet with the cauliflower and roast them. I thought about this in hind sight.
Butter – Butter is used to sauté the celery, onion & garlic. It also adds flavor.
Celery, Onion & Garlic – It never hurts to add some vegetables to this soup. We sautéed the celery, onion & garlic, enhancing their flavor and making them tender before adding them to the soup.
AP Flour – Flour is used to thicken the soup.
Chicken Broth – We used chicken broth for added flavor in this recipe. However, feel free to use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.
Sharp White Cheddar Cheese – This cheese is smooth, slightly bold, rich and creamy and melts perfectly in soup. This is my favorite cheddar cheese in this soup. However, feel free to use yellow cheddar or your favorite cheese.
Olive Oil – Olive oil is used to coat the cauliflower before roasting it.
Milk & Heavy Whipping Cream – Both are added for flavor and creaminess. The heavy whipping cream adds richness as well. However, if you don’t have heavy whipping cream, you can substitute all milk. It just won’t be quite as rich. I recommend adding about 1/4 of melted butter to the milk.
Salt & Pepper – Don’t add extra salt to the soup until you taste it. The chicken broth contains salt.
Pro tips for this recipe
- Cut your cauliflower in small equal sized florets so they will get done at the same time in the oven.
- For the best results, use a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has a waxy coating on it and doesn’t melt as well as freshly shredded cheese from a bar. You’ll end up with a creamier smoother texture.
FAQ’s
How long will this soup stay fresh?
This soup will stay fresh for up to 4 days refrigerated in a covered container. Keep in mind it contains milk and cream.
Can I freeze this soup?
This soup isn’t freezer friendly due to the amount of milk and cheese in the recipe. If you freeze it, the texture will not be the same once thawed.
How to make this soup
- Place carrots in a small pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until tender and drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, spread the cauliflower out in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until cauliflower turns a light golden color and looks crispy around the edges, about 20 minutes. Turn it over with a metal spatula and bake five more minutes and remove from oven. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onions, salt & pepper and saute until the celery is almost tender. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup of the broth and the flour and whisk constantly over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the flour has had time to cook out. Add the remaining broth, carrots and cauliflower and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heavy cream and cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until soup has slightly thickened. Add about 1 scant cup of the cheese and continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes and remove from heat.
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Description
This delicious Roasted Cauliflower White Cheddar Soup starts with freshly roasted cauliflower, and gets added flavor from sauteed vegetables and added creaminess from white cheddar cheese and it’s perfect comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2 carrots, peeled & very thinly sliced
- 1 head cauliflower, around 2 pounds, rinsed, cored and chopped into small florets
- Olive oil
- 1/2 stick butter, unsalted
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, thinly diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 rounded teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Additional salt & pepper to taste
- 1 bar white cheddar cheese, 8 ounces, grated
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place carrots in a small pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until tender and drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, spread the cauliflower out in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until cauliflower turns a light golden color and looks crispy around the edges, about 20 minutes. Turn it over with a metal spatula and bake five more minutes and remove from oven. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onions, salt & pepper and saute until the celery is almost tender. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup of the broth and the flour and whisk constantly over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the flour has had time to cook out. Add the remaining broth, carrots and cauliflower and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heavy cream and cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until soup has slightly thickened. Add about 1 scant cup of the cheese and continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes and remove from heat.
- Serve in soup or bread bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese on top.
Notes
- This soup yields 4 large soup bowls or 6 bread bowls. See my previous post for bread bowls for a great way to serve this creamy soup.
- Cook time includes time for roasting the cauliflower.
Easy and delicious. I roasted the carrots with the cauliflower. I used Better Than Bullion chicken, 2% milk and yellow sharp cheddar. I was skeptical about only using salt and pepper. Taste was spot on. Texture and thickness perfect. Will definitely make again.
Hi Barbara, Thanks so much for the feedback and the rating. I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂