Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

Name: Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
Prep time: 6 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 6 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 cups broccoli florets; 5 cups cauliflower florets; 8 oz uncured bacon (optional); 1 tbsp rendered bacon fat (or 1 tbsp avocado oil for vegetarian); 1 cup green onions, chopped; 2 tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped; 4 cups chicken broth; 4 cups half & half ( I prefer this lactose-free one ); 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded; 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground

February 20, 2019 By Whip & Wander 40 Comments

I’m not ready for soup weather to be over yet

Though Portland only got a smattering of snow this year and I have fully eaten through every box of holiday shortbread in the house, I am still perfectly content to stay in winter hibernation mode just a little while longer. Let’s enjoy the blankets, slippers, and warm mugs of tea while the weather still demands them. I’m not ready to transition from comfort food to lighter, crisper dishes just yet. I just want to eat soup, thankyouverymuch. This Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is my gentle reminder that spring doesn’t officially start until March 20th so it’s ok if you want to go back inside and cuddle up just a little bit longer.

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Roasted veggies > all other veggies

Though I may be in the minority concerning the cold weather air, one thing I believe we can all agree on is that roasting vegetables makes them taste about 500 x better than boiling, blanching, or steaming them ever could. There’s something extra delicious about the flavor vegetables take on when you roast them until they start to brown and caramelize, and the roasted broccoli and cauliflower in this soup are no exception.

I like to dry roast the vegetables for this Broccoli Cauliflower Soup because I don’t think that coating them in oil does much for them other than to make them taste of roasted oil. Let the veggies do all the heavy lifting in the roasting process for maximum flavor.

Cheesy goodness

The other thing I love about this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is that it’s chock full of cheese. I prefer to use a mix of gruyere and extra sharp white cheddar in this soup. The blend of these two sharp cheeses offers tangy, salty, and somewhat nutty flavors to the dish which I think pair best with the creaminess of the cauliflower.

Flexibly vegetarian

You’ll note in the photos and recipe card that bacon is present, but this is totally optional. I generally cook the bacon separately, and allow people to garnish their bowls with it if they wish. If you are decidedly carnivorous, I like to use the rendered fat from cooking the bacon to make this dish extra rich. However, if you prefer a completely vegetarian dish this soup is absolutely delicious in it’s purely bacon-free form. In this case, my favorite alternative cooking fat is avocado oil.

Blending

I use an immersion blender to add creaminess to this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, the roasted veggies can be quickly pulsed in a traditional blender or food processor instead. We’re looking for a mixture of creamy and chunky textures that make this soup feel so much more indulgent than it is.

A note for special diets

This Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is grain-free, gluten-free, nightshade-free, low-lactose and friendly for Keto diets. The net carb count per serving is 7g. The sharp, aged cheeses that I chose for this dish naturally contain only trace amounts (0.5 grams or less) of lactose, making this SIBO friendly as well.

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