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
Keywords: broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, Gruyere, cheddar
The one good thing about this cold weather is soup! This looks so hearty and delicious, I love the bacon on top too!
★★★★★
Yum! This looks so delicious and creamy! I love that you added some bacon on top too!
★★★★★
Soup season is never over for me as I eat it year round! And boy, I'm glad because now that I found your delicious soup, I want to make it asap!
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I hope you do, Elaine. It's such a good one to warm up with!
Variations of broccoli soup have been huge in our house this winter. I haven't tried one that include cauliflower too and this looks so delicious! I'll be giving it a try for sure 🙂
I'm glad to hear it! We love variations of broccoli soup at my house too, but this is one of my favs!
I ONLY roast or grill veggies. Brings out the natural sweetness. This soup sounds amazing. Homemade soup is SOOO good. You can't get this out of a can or a box from the store.
★★★★★
I totally agree with you, Gloria! This flavor can never be replicated in a can or box!
With it snowing in Portland today, I am so ready for this soup! Also, I love roasting veggies before turning them into soup - the extra step really brings out lovely flavors.
★★★★★
Roasting really makes all the difference! I hope the cold weather sticks around long enough that you get to make a pot of this!
It couldn't be a more perfect day to make this in Portland! I even already have the ingredients, so I know what's for dinner tonight!
Sounds like a fortuitous plan! I hope it warms you up in this cold weather!
I think I have everything to make this today - perfect for a snow day! and I completely agree, roasted veggies > all other veggies. 🙂
★★★★★
Sounds like you know what you're making for dinner then. I hope you love it!
I have made roasted broccoli soup, adding cauliflower is simply brilliant. I'm gonna try this the next time i make broccoli soup. This is brilliant recipe, thanks for sharing
★★★★★
I hope you love the cauliflower! It adds a nice creaminess to the soup.
This soup looks amazing!
I love broccoli soup, but I've neve made a roasted broccoli cauliflower soup! I only can immagine how good it tastes!
★★★★★
What an interesting combination! I bet roasting the two veggies first really brings out the flavors. And to tell you the truth, we love our soup and we're perfectly content having it year round. I haven't tried your combination but it looks so good I have to try it. We're almost out of our present pot of soup -- will be making yours next.
★★★★★
I really hope you do, Marisa! I love how much flavor is brought out just by the simple step of roasting the veggies!
Hey Portland may get some snow Monday - I'm in Portland, too! I'm actually hoping for it because I would LOVE a late Feb. snow day so I can make a soup like this and snuggle up. This recipe sounds great!!
★★★★★
It keeps melting (dang it!) but the cold weather still makes me want to stay inside with a big pot of soup!
This soup is absolutely divine, so much flavor! A new favorite at our house!
★★★★★
I love this roasted broccoli and cauliflower soup perfect and creamy great for cold and rainy days. I love the addition of bacon.
★★★★★
I love that you use both broccoli and cauliflower in your soup, mine is normally one or the other (ha!) I will be making your version next time I need to whip one up! And I am TOTALLY with you on the cheese, the more the merrier,
We love making separate versions of this as well, but I thought it would be fun to blend the two flavors. It's all the richness from the roasted broccoli and the creaminess of the cauliflower that makes this so good!
This was AMAZING. Roasting the veggies beforehand = brilliant.
★★★★★
Oh this soup is so hearty and flavorful!!!!
★★★★★
Soup looks so hearty and delicious! I love broccoli soup and I love cauliflower soup. This is the best of two worlds together. Love this!
★★★★★
This soup looks so yummy! And with two of my favorite ingredients: broccoli and cauliflower. Can't go wrong!
★★★★★