Say goodbye to soup season with this light and delicious vegetarian cauliflower soup. It’s the perfect way to welcome spring.
Even when soup season is almost over I try to hang onto it with this light vegetarian cauliflower soup. It’s full of beautiful vegetables that still make for a hearty lunch.
Vegetable soups are the perfect way to part with winter and welcome spring. The evenings are still chilly and the days getting warmer and a hot bowl of light soup creates the perfect balance between the seasons.
What an easy way to get some veggies into your kids. My one-year-old ate almost an entire batch all by herself.
The mild flavour of this soup really makes it a perfect dish for babies, toddlers and older kids alike. The vegetables are small and tender enough that they may not even notice they’re eating them.
Preparing Vegetarian Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
Vegetable stock: I use vegetable stock in this recipe because of its mild flavour. It also makes this soup vegetarian. Vegetable stock is made by cooking vegetables and some spices to release the flavours. The liquid is the broth or stock that is then used for other means, such as the base for this cauliflower soup.
Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale among others. The head is white and the only part of the plant that is typically consumed. Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and also contains decent amounts of fiber and vitamin B6.
Yellow onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe as they end up blending in very nicely with the rest of the vegetables in this soup. This is very much based on personal preference so feel free to use white flesh potatoes instead if that is what you have on hand.
Frozen Vegetable Medley: This mix of vegetables usually contains carrots, peas, green beans and corn kernels which are all frozen. Sometimes the mix can contain other vegetables or even legumes such as edamame. If you want to add more protein to this dish edamame is a great way to do that.
Thyme: This herb has an amazing flavour that goes so well with most meats and veggies. It is part of the mint family and is a small bush, with branches that are covered in small leaves. We use a whole sprig or branch per packet so
no need to pick off the leaves.
Bay leaves: Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are most often added to dishes whole and then removed after cooking, before serving. When used in their dry form they don’t soften during the cooking process so are not pleasant to eat.
Heavy cream: Cream is one of the main stars of this dish. Ideally, you want to use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream which has between 36% and 40% fat content. I find that this isn’t typically available in the grocery stores near me so I settle for whipping cream which is usually between 30% and 35% fat. This cream will thicken nicely and create that almost fluffy texture in the sauce.
Parsley: Parsley is a dark green herb that is used as a garnish or as a flavouring. The two varieties that are most common are flat-leaf and curly parsley. They are very similar in flavour however their leaves and texture are different. As the names suggest, flat-leaf parsley has flat leaves that are very similar to cilantro, whereas curly parsley has rougher and curly-looking leaves. Both are very rich in vitamins C and K and antioxidants, among other nutrients.
How to Make Vegetarian Cauliflower Soup
Because we use some frozen veggies the prep time is pretty simple. All you have to prep is the cauliflower, onion and potatoes. It should only take 5 minutes to get it all chopped up.
Wash the veggies, peel the onions and potatoes and cut everything into small pieces. The cauliflower florets should be about bite-sized and the potatoes should be cut into ¼ inch cubes.
TIP: If you want to skip the chopping, and you can afford it, you can buy prepackaged cauliflower florets ready for cooking.
I like to dice the onions into small pieces so that they don’t stand out in each bite but still add a beautiful sweet flavour.
Once your veggies are cut up, add them all to the pot along with the frozen vegetable medley, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
Cover everything with the stock and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes. Depending on the size of the potatoes they may take shorter or longer to cook. Keep an eye on them at about 20 minutes.
TIP: The potatoes and cauliflower are cooked through when you can insert a fork through the thickest part without resistance.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, lower the heat to low or a simmer and whisk in the cream and cook for another 5 minutes.
This step is optional. The cream simply adds a sweetness to this soup but it is equally delicious without the cream. Skipping the cream will also make this a vegan cauliflower soup.
While the soup is finishing up wash and chop the parsley. Before adding it to the soup, scoop out the bay leaves. Finish the soup off with the fresh parsley and you’re all set.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make vegan cauliflower soup?
All you have to do to make this soup vegan is skip the cream. The cream adds a nice sweetness to the soup making the overall flavour more mild. Skipping the cream, however, will simply give you a bolder flavour and a more prominent herb taste. Make sure to use vegetable stock!
Can I use Frozen Cauliflower instead of Fresh?
The short answer is yes! The long answer is that frozen cauliflower tends to get mushy when overcooked and it does overcook easily. To prevent this from happening only add it to the soup with about 10 minutes left in the cooking process. When pierced with a fork there should be no resistance but it shouldn’t fall apart.
Can I use fresh vegetables instead of the frozen vegetable medley?
Absolutely! Just make sure to cut the veggies to match the size of the corn. The carrots will take the longest to cook so as long as they are smaller than your potatoes you’re all set.
What protein can I add to this vegetarian soup?
Don’t forget that there is already protein in the soup. However, if you want to add more there is one very easy way to do just that while still keeping it vegetarian, or even vegan (if you skip the cream).
Add legumes! Try adding edamame, chickpeas or lentils. If you use a canned variety you can add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking otherwise add them at the beginning with the rest of the vegetables.
Serving Cauliflower Soup
This soup is perfectly delicious all on its own. Add a final sprinkle of fresh parsley to your bowl and enjoy.
If you want to add some more carbs to your meal, pair this soup with garlic toast or have it as a side to our delicious mozzarella pesto panini.
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for other lunch ideas? Check out our recipes:
Vegetarian Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 900 ml vegetable stock
- ½ cauliflower
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 yellow flesh potatoes
- 3 cups frozen vegetable medley
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream optional
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
Optional Additions:
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Parsnips
- Broccoli stems
- Noodles
Instructions
- Start by washing the cauliflower and cutting it into bite-size florets.½ cauliflower
- Next, peel and dice the onion, and potatoes and add everything to a medium pot along with the frozen vegetable medley. The potatoes should be cut into ¼-inch pieces.½ yellow onion, 2 yellow flesh potatoes, 3 cups frozen vegetable medley
- Cover the vegetables with the stock and place on the stove on medium heat. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and cover with a lid. Cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.900 ml vegetable stock, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ½ tsp thyme, 2 bay leaves
- Lower the heat to a simmer, stir in the cream, and cook for another 5 minutes.¼ to 1/3 cup heavy cream
- In the meantime, wash and chop the fresh parsley.1 tbsp fresh parsley
- Once the soup is done cooking, remove the bay leaves and add the parsley to the soup.
- Serve topped with more fresh parsley.
