Cauliflower-and-Cheddar Soup

Name: Cauliflower-and-Cheddar Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium yellow onion, diced small; 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired; 5 1/2 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated (1 1/2 cups); Coarse salt and ground pepper; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cauliflower and cheese are a match made in heaven. Serve this soup with crusty bread for a satisfying lunch.

Source: Everyday Food, March 2012

30 mins 15 mins 6

Total Time Prep Servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired
5 1/2 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook until just beginning to brown, 12 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup water; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
2. In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot and add more broth or water for a thinner consistency, if desired. Heat over medium until warmed through; add cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cayenne.

Cook's Notes

To store, let soup cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Similar Recipes

Reviews

134

How would you rate this recipe?

134

MS11253367

27 OCT, 2017

I don't know what happened. Everything was fine, until the end.When I added the cheese, it melted but did not blend at all. It was suspended in globs, and stuck to the spoon. The soup was fine, but the cheese globs were tough and chewy, like cheese bubble gum!
Reply
- lrowland210
  
  5 OCT, 2018
  
  Never boil cheese. Remove from the heat and stir the cheese in last, and it will melt in perfectly. If you cook the cheese it will curdle.
- mkrafton
  
  4 NOV, 2017
  
  Maybe one of two things. If you heat cheese at too high a temperature, it will cause the fat to separate from the whey, leaving you with with globs, as you describe. The other reason could be using a no-fat cheese. They just don't melt well.
csmith336

4 SEP, 2018

I love this soup and so does my husband. I really start craving it in the Fall. So few ingredients and very easy to make. The cayenne really adds so much to it.
Reply
mairoulaz@yahoo.com

5 FEB, 2017

Guys I am presently living in greece n people here just don't know what they are missing with this velvet soups which I love. Well I made it n it was really great. Used 3 small heads of cauliflower, 5 cups of chicken broth and I needed not 20 but 40 minutes for the cauliflower to cook. This might be cause here they are fresh. Also I thought the whole house would smell like a f... But amazingly enough it didn't. Ohhh I also used 1 big n 1 small red onion passed through the blender. THANKS
Reply
brockthecoachg

27 OCT, 2016

This is awesome! If you have an emulsifier..... use that instead of a blender. I used a half of stick of cream cheese instead of the recommended cheese... after emulsifying for a good five minutes or so, this tastes like a creamy fatty soup..... as in amazing and it's for the most part "totally healthy" This is a keeper and SO EASY to make
Reply
kate120

15 DEC, 2013

This is a delicious, fairly healthy and simple recipe. I've made it for my boyfriend and sister, and they both really liked it (and would be honest with me if they didn't). The taste of the cauliflower is not very strong, and the bit that their is compliments the cheese very well. I make it with a little less water than it calls for and it definitely has plenty of flavor with the cayenne and sharp cheese. Make sure you add a fair amount of pepper. Overall, I'll be making this many more times.
Reply
Lori-Fo0die

15 DEC, 2013

I was very disappointed with this recipe. I even used 8 oz of cheddar instead of the 5 1/2 required in the recipe and added 1/2 cup grated romano but it was still bland. The 4 cups of broth along with the 1 cup of water is too much liquid and it thins it out from the start. I would eliminate the cup of water as you can always thin it out later. Definately needs more cheese and less liquid - also some garlic would not hurt.
Reply
MS12544375

11 OCT, 2013

I made this for a large holiday meal, and we told everyone that it was potato-cheddar soup so that they would try it. We had requests for seconds. After everyone had raved, we revealed that there was not a single potato in it. People were astonished. It really is a great, and easy, soup. I used vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.
Reply

I'm in the mood for:

See Recipes