Home
Recipes and inspiration
Whole cauliflower soup

Whole cauliflower soup

High in protein
High in dietary fibre
No added sugar
Seafood free
Shellfish free
Wheat free
Soy free
Sesame free
Peanut free
Nut free
Gluten free
Egg free

Make use of the entire cauliflower to create this comforting bowl of goodness. Creamy and delicious, this soup is perfect for cooler days and evenings.

Serves4
Cook time30 minutes
Prep time10 minutes, + cooling time

Want to cut back on food waste? This whole cauliflower soup uses the entire cauliflower, leaves and all.
To start, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Then line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and place on the tray. Spray well with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven and bake for seven to 10 minutes, turning halfway through, cooking until the leaves are crisp. Set aside to cool.
While the leaves are cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for five minutes until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Next, add the leek to the pan and cook until tender. Add the chopped cauliflower, potato, stock and half the cooked bacon. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Set aside to cool slightly. Stir the cheddar into the cauliflower mixture and then, using a stick blender, carefully blend until the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, divide the cauliflower mixture among serving bowls. Drizzle with a little cream. Then top with cauliflower leaves and the remaining bacon.
To finish, sprinkle with chives and season with pepper. Full of delicious flavour and texture, this whole cauliflower soup will warm you up from the inside out.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower, leaves reserved, coarsely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
2 bacon rashers, finely chopped
1 leek, coarsely chopped
1 potato, coarsely chopped
4 cups (1L) chicken
1/2 cup (60g) coarsely grated cheddar
Thickened cream, to serve
Finely chopped chives, to serve

Nutritional information

Per serve: Energy: 1246kJ/298 Cals (14%), Protein: 14g (28%), Fat: 20g (29%), Sat fat: 8g (33%), Carb: 14g (5%), Sugar: 5g (6%), Fibre: 6g (20%), Sodium: 1543mg (77%).

Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.

Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the reserved cauliflower leaves on the lined tray. Spray well with olive oil spray and season. Bake, turning halfway through cooking, for 7-10 mins or until just crisp. Set aside to cool.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
Step 3
Add leek to the pan and cook for 2 mins or until tender. Add chopped cauliflower, potato, stock and half the bacon. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20 mins or until vegetables are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 4
Stir the cheddar into the cauliflower mixture. Use a stick blender to carefully blend until smooth. Season.
Step 5
Divide the cauliflower mixture among serving bowls. Drizzle with cream. Top with the cauliflower leaves and remaining bacon. Sprinkle with chives. Season with pepper to serve.

Recipe tip

COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Use it up: One of the appeals of this recipe is that it uses the whole cauliflower. To also reduce food waste, we use the whole leek and do not peel the potato in our cauliflower soup recipe.

Clever storage: Soup is fabulous for making a big batch and reheating for lunch the next day or as an easy weeknight meal. If you’ll be eating the leftover soup within a few days, you can easily store it in a container in the fridge. Soup can also be frozen in a freezer-safe glass or plastic container.

Cauliflower soup recipe

Cauliflower continues to grow in popularity as a star veggie and one cauliflower dish that has been around for a long time and loved by many is cauliflower soup. The only thing better than cauliflower soup on a cold winter's day? Cauliflower soup that uses up the whole cauliflower! It’s delicious and sustainable! For those not in the know, there’s something special about roasting cauliflower leaves. It really brings out the flavour and adds a great crunchy texture with a sweet caramelised edge.

How to make cauliflower soup

Turning your cauliflower into soup is one thing, but if you really want to make it a special experience, there are a few additions you might want to consider. Firstly, a fun trick is to roast your cauliflower leaves and add them before serving as a crunchy garnish. Another guaranteed flavour booster is, of course, the addition of the old favourites: bacon and cheese. These two go hand in hand and make almost every dish better thanks to the slightly smoky, slightly salty and a little bit creamy combination. Once you’ve tried our recipe for cauliflower soup, you won’t turn back.

What to serve with cauliflower soup

When it comes to serving up your cauliflower soup, there are a variety of options to choose from. What you serve alongside it will vary depending on whether it’s for lunch, a simple weeknight meal or a fancier dinner party. When serving it for lunch you can add classic croutons, sourdough or toasted sandwiches. Try some spicy potato wedges for a gluten-free option or top with some roasted chickpeas or parmesan crisps for a low-carb option.

If it’s an easy meal you're after, all you need is a good crusty bread, chilli cornbread or even a cheesy baked potato. Although this cauliflower soup is a meal in itself, you may prefer to serve some fresh greens on the side like a broccoli and blue cheese salad, or a slow-roasted lamb with Brussels sprouts if you want something a little more substantial.

Hosting a fancy dinner and cauliflower soup is your entree or amuse-bouche? There is no end to the options that can go alongside it. Try a roast meat for the main, like a spice-roasted chicken with vegetables and potato gratin, and baby broccoli with anchovy or lemon on the side.

Love this recipe?

Once you’ve warmed to this indulgent cauliflower soup, you’ll be wanting to test out as many soup recipes as possible. From this classic vegetable soup and Courtney Roulston’s Tuscan vegetable and bacon soup to something a little different like this Thai-style pumpkin soup with meatballs or any of these great root-to-tip soup options. If you enjoy this soup but just want more of that roasted flavour, next time you might want to turn it into a roasted cauliflower soup.

FAQs