Description

A heartwarming cauliflower soup recipe featuring tender cauliflower in a rich, creamy base made with a traditional white sauce technique. Perfect for cold days and family dinners.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Soup Base:

½ cup salted butter, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped (whatever onion you have is fine)
1 carrot, finely chopped (I use baby carrots cause I’m lazy)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped (the stringy part goes in the compost)
1 head cauliflower, cut into ~1-inch pieces (ugh this part sucks)
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (dried from the cabinet works)
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth (the carton kind not the can)

For the Creamy White Sauce:

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk (please don’t use skim)
1 cup half-and-half (this is what makes it good)

For Seasoning & Serving:

1 to 2 bay leaves (I forget these half the time)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup sour cream for serving

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Instructions

Step 1: Start with the Aromatic Base

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in your big pot over medium-high heat. When it stops bubbling, add the onion. Cook it until it smells amazing and looks golden, maybe 4-5 minutes. Don’t walk away or you’ll burn it and have to start over.

Step 2: Build the Vegetable Foundation

Throw in the carrots and celery, cook another 2 minutes. Add all that chopped cauliflower and parsley, stir it up. Put the lid on and turn heat to low. Let it hang out for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Pro Tip: This is when I clean up the cutting board and put stuff away. Set a timer because I’ve totally forgotten soup on the stove before.

Step 3: Add the Broth and Simmer

Pour in the chicken broth and turn heat back up until it bubbles. Then turn it down to medium-low and let it bubble gently for 10 minutes. The cauliflower should be getting soft.

Step 4: Create the Magic White Sauce

Here’s the annoying part. In the other pot, melt the last 4 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. In a bowl, whisk flour and milk until totally smooth – no lumps at all. Pour this into the melted butter really slowly while whisking like crazy. Don’t stop or you’ll get chunks. Keep going maybe 5 minutes until thick. Add the half-and-half.

Pro Tip: This makes your arm hurt. I switch hands when one gets tired. If you get lumps anyway, pour it through a strainer.

Step 5: Bring It All Together

Pour the white sauce into your soup pot. Add bay leaves if you have them. Let everything simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring sometimes. Taste it – needs more salt than you think.

Step 6: The Sour Cream Finish

Put sour cream in your serving bowl first. Add some hot soup to it and mix, then pour in the rest. This stops the sour cream from getting weird and chunky.

Notes

Don’t crank the heat on the white sauce or it gets lumpy and gross. Keep it medium-low and be patient. If your soup’s too thin, let it simmer without the lid for more time. It’ll thicken up.

When I’m feeling lazy I buy the pre-cut cauliflower from the store. Costs more but saves me 20 minutes of chopping. Those frozen veggie mixes work too if you’re really pressed for time.

Sometimes my soup looks weird or breaks. I just blend half with my stick blender and it fixes everything. Makes it smooth instead of chunky.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 285
Sugar: 8g
Sodium: 650mg
Fat: 22g
Saturated Fat: 14g
Unsaturated Fat: 6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 16g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 8g
Cholesterol: 65mg