A cozy soup for chilly days
This Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is a favorite of ours on especially chilly days. Broccoli and cauliflower are roasted until lightly caramelized, then get added to a brothy soup base and blended. A mix of nutty Gruyere and sharp white cheddar get added to the pot, along with a swirl of cream, a dash of red pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Then a portion of reserved roasted vegetables gets added in the end along with an optional (but highly encouraged) measure of crispy bacon. This vegetable-forward soup is a hearty and cozy way to keep warm through the cold fall and winter months.
Dry Roasting Vegetables
One thing I think we can call agree on is 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.
One additional method I use for this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup recipe is dry roasting. Inspired by Joshua McFadden's dry grilling, in his book "Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables," where he encourages “Don’t oil your vegetables before you grill them, because the oil burns and tastes acrid. Instead, grill them dry to get a lovely char, and then dress with oil afterwards.” -- I employed the same method for my roasted vegetables for this soup.
After washing and chopping, make sure that your broccoli and cauliflower get a good pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Excess water will steam the vegetables and prevent them from browning and caramelizing properly. Because this recipe calls for a full (packed) sheet pan of vegetables, you'll get a nice caramelization on the tops and bottoms of your veggies, but there's less of a risk of your veggies drying out so much that they won't blend well in your soup.
What should I serve this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup with?
I love serving this soup with a simple sliced baguette or a batch of this Brown Butter Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread.
Can I adapt this soup for vegetarian diets?
Yes, this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup can be adapted for a vegetarian diet. You'll note in the photos and recipe card that bacon is present, but this is totally optional. The bacon cooks separately, so if you would like to make this broccoli cauliflower soup friendly for a vegetarian diet, you can choose to omit it altogether -- or if you're in a mixed dietary group, cook and allow people to dress their bowls as desired. Additionally, you'll want to swap the rendered bacon fat (where called for) for olive oil or avocado oil. You'll also want to note that Gruyere cheese is often made with animal rennet, so if you are unable to source a vegetarian version, you can swap the Gruyere for additional white cheddar.
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A bakers half sheet pan + parchment paper
- A cutting board
- A chef's knife
- A paper towel-lined plate
- A kitchen scale -- OR -- measuring cups (for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A cheese grater
- A large soup pot or Dutch oven
- A slotted spoon
- A wooden spoon or spatula (can be the same as the slotted spoon above)
- An immersion blender -- OR -- may use a traditional blender if needed (though you may have to blend in batches)
- A ladle
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more cold-weather soup inspiration?
Love this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup? Here are some of my other favorite cold-weather soup recipes:
- French Lentil Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Chunky Tomato Basil Soup
- Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder
- Clam Chowder with Jalapeno and Corn
- Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Hock
- Pressure Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup
Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soups & Stews, Mains
- Method: Oven / Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is a favorite of ours on especially chilly days. Broccoli and cauliflower are roasted until lightly caramelized, then get added to a brothy soup base and blended. A mix of nutty Gruyere and sharp white cheddar get added to the pot, along with a swirl of cream, a dash of red pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Then a portion of reserved roasted vegetables gets added in the end along with an optional (but highly encouraged) measure of crispy bacon. This vegetable-forward soup is a hearty and cozy way to keep warm through the cold fall and winter months.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (about 6 cups) broccoli florets
- 1 ½ lbs (about 6 cups) cauliflower florets
- 12 oz uncured bacon, chopped (may omit for vegetarian)
- 80 g (about 1 cup) green onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- 48 oz (6 cups) chicken broth (may swap for veggie broth if desired)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz (about 1 rounded cup) Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 4 oz (about 1 cup) sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp nutmeg, ground
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water slurry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F / 220 C. Prep a baker's half sheet with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
- After washing and chopping, make sure that your broccoli and cauliflower florets get a good pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Excess water will steam the vegetables and prevent them from browning and caramelizing properly. Transfer the broccoli and cauliflower to the reserved baking sheet then transfer to the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes.
- While the vegetables roast, cook the bacon. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the chopped bacon. Cook down, stirring often until the rendered fat starts to look slightly foamy with small bubbles and the bacon has browned. Then, using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the bacon to a reserved plate lined with paper towels, leaving the majority of the rendered bacon fat in the pan. Allow the fat to cool slightly, then carefully dispose of all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
- Once the vegetables have finished roasting, start the soup. In the same pot you just cooked the bacon in, over medium-high heat, cook the green onions and parsley in the reserved tablespoon of rendered bacon fat (or olive oil/avocaco oil if preferred) for about 1 minute just so they get a bit of direct heat.
- Add the majority of the roasted broccoli and cauliflower florets to the pot, leaving about ⅙th (about 1 cup) of each vegetable reserved to the side for later. Saute the vegetables in with the rendered bacon fat, green onions, and parsley for a minute or two until coated, then add the chicken broth. Allow the soup to come to a simmer, cooking until the vegetables are fork-tender, about 10-minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and using an immersion blender, blend the veggies and broth to your desired level of smoothness. If you do not have an immersion blender, this can be done in a traditional blender, though you may have to blend in batches.
- Return the soup to the stove over medium-high heat. Add the shredded Gruyere and sharp white cheddar cheeses in handfuls, stirring well between each handful to ensure it melts into the soup evenly. Then add the heavy cream, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg, stirring until well combined. Then add the remaining reserved roasted broccoli and cauliflower florets to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer together for about 5-minutes, stirring often.
- In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch and cold water together, whisking with a fork until fully dissolved. Add the slurry to the pot, stirring to combine. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken and allow the newly added roasted broccoli and cauliflower florets to tenderize a bit more.
- You can stir the reserved bacon directly into the soup at this point, or serve on the side to add to bowls as desired. I like to taste for salt and adjust as needed after the bacon has been added rather than before as the bacon adds extra saltiness to the soup. Serve warm with an optional side of sliced baguette or Brown Butter Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
10/12/21 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe (with bacon)
- Calories: 470
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1297 mg
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated Fat: 21 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 119 mg
Allison says
This recipe was delicious and everyone raved about it. I did replace the half & half with coconut milk because I didn't have any cream or milk. It was a great substitution. Definitely going in the rotation. Thanks so sharing.
Jenni says
Allison, So glad everyone loved it! Coconut milk sounds like a great substitution in a pinch. I’m thrilled this one earned a spot in the rotation—thanks so much for sharing!
Anonymous says
Gerri says
Does this soup freeze well ?
Whip & Wander says
Yes, however, because it is dairy-based there is likely to be some separation of liquid and solid. This can be remedied by defrosting then reheating over medium heat on the stove. If needed, you can add a splash or two of more half & half or milk at this time. As this recipe contains broccoli and cauliflower you will see a further breakdown of these vegetables when defrosting and reheating as well, but because much of this soup is pureed with an immersion blender already, I think that this is still quite nice defrosted and reheated.
Kate says
Can I substitute milk for the half and half? If so, how much should I use? Thanks!
Whip & Wander says
Yes, you should be able to sub in for milk. In order to make sure that the soup is nice and thick, I would probably decrease the broth by 2 cups to start out with and then add more as needed. If you'd like to thicken further, you can make a slurry of 1 tbsp arrowroot powder with room temperature (not hot or it will clump) broth. Once dissolved completely, you can add it to the soup to thicken.
Kacie Morgan says
This looks like a delicious soup and I don't want soup weather to be over yet too! I think soup can be enjoyable at any time of the year as long as you use some seasonal ingredients 🙂
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward says
A few things: roasted veggies. Rendered bacon fat. Bacon topping. Honestly, this is a soup I can sip for days. Really really great recipe! Giving it 5 stars
Daniela says
Yum!!! This soup is exactly what I crave all winer in soup form :). Thanks so m much for sharing!
Julie says
Haha, I AM ready for soup weather to be over, but it's snowing right now. I love cold-ish weather (and HATE hot weather) but I walk 3 miles each way to work and walk my children to preschool/daycare, and all these days of highs in the single digits is just TOO MUCH. I cannot wait for a few weeks with highs in the upper 40s or 50s. (But since soup weather appears to be sticking around for a while, I'll add this to the menu for next week!)
Kiki Johnson says
I always have a little jar with bacon fat in the fridge and oftentimes forget about it! This soup comes at the perfect time! The smokiness of bacon goes so well with the sweetness of cauliflower! LOVE
Analida Braeger says
Broccoli soups are my absolute favorite ! I have never tried roasting it before making the soup.
Alisha Rodrigues says
I've not tried making soup with a combination of broccoli and cauliflower. This looks interesting thou so I'm giving it a shot for dinner on Monday. I'm sure the Bacon and cheese would take it to the next level
Lorie says
Was hoping Soup season would be close to over now but I’m still needing all of it. So this one will do just fine!!!
Denise says
This soup looks so creamy and delicious! I bet the flavors are amazing! I will have to make this one soon! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Nicoletta says
Roasting the vegetables does make it extra tasty! Love the combination of both cauliflower and broccoli. For me vegetarian option, with e.v.o. oil 😊