Cauliflower has become, in recent years, the “Renaissance veggie” of the gluten free and low-carb sets. Nutritionally speaking, it’s a superstar. It’s low-calorie, low on the glycemic index, and high in fiber and Vitamin A. Aside from that, it’s wildly adaptable and can be used to make anything from pizza crust to hash browns, to “steaks” or even “rice”. This recipe, ever so slightly adapted from Food 52, is a study in simplicity. It touts only three main ingredients, with olive oil, salt and pepper providing just a little support.
Seriously, cauliflower, onion and water are all you need. There isn’t any cream, butter, or even stock in the mix. Proof that sometimes, less really is more. Mind you, Kyle definitely wanted to add his own little touches along the way—roasting the cauliflower, caramelizing the onions, adding some other spice (anything, really) for extra flavor.
In the end, though, the only change he made was to reduce the amount of water by a half cup to ensure a thicker texture in the finished soup. After everything we read about the soup, we really wanted to see if the raves rang true. Thankfully, they did.
If you’re wondering how a soup with no dairy or stock and minimal seasoning can be creamy, flavorful and satisfying, we challenge you to give this recipe a try as is. The lack of all of those bells and whistles really lets the essences of the cauliflower and onion shine through. Once it’s cooked and blended, you’ll marvel at the richness of this stripped down, healthy soup.
While we’re sure that future iterations will involve roasting and caramelizing, perhaps even swapping in potato or butternut squash for most (but not all) of the cauliflower, as is, this is a wonderful, simple, no-fuss, vegan soup that you can put together quickly and enjoy on repeat all year long, especially as the cold descends and all you want to do is stay inside and binge-watch your favorite shows. Just make a pot and watch it disappear one delicious bowl at a time.
Recipe perfect as is (but still slightly adapted) from Food 52.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
- 1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 5 cups water, divided
- Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, salt, and ½ cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4½ cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
- Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
- Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
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