one-pot cheddar cauliflower soup

This One-Pot Cheddar Cauliflower Soup is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food! Made with healthy and hearty veggies like cauliflower, carrots, and celery – and tons of flavor! Top this soup off with bacon, cheddar, fresh herbs, or serve it with crusty bread for the best homemade meal.

this recipe

All you need to make this soup are super (sOUper, heh) basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your fridge or pantry:

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Celery
• Carrot
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Chicken or Vegetable broth
• Cheddar cheese
• Salt, pepper, and a few herbs (you can use fresh or dried!)

I think we alllll have some remnants of a bag of carrots or celery in our fridge from time to time, so let’s put them to use! This is a great clean-out-the-fridge kind of recipe. 

Let’s make it!

First, roughly chop all your veggies, and sautee them in a large dutch oven. They’ll be getting blended later, so you don’t need to chop them finely, or really spend much time on them at all!

  Next, add your cauliflower, seasonings, and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until everything is softened enough to blend. Carefully transfer the soup mixture to a high-powered blender (or use an immersion blender if you want to keep everything in the pot!), and blend until creamy. 

Like so! Look at that beautiful soup mixture – and it’s almosttt ready. 

Pour the soup back into your dutch oven, and stir in the cheddar cheese. That’s it! Congratulations, you’ve just made the easiest homemade soup ever. The final touch is adding any toppings you like!

I like to make quick homemade croutons in a pan on the stovetop, and add a little bacon and a pinch of fresh herbs, like chives, to my soup before serving. Oh – and an extra sprinkle of cheese, of course. 

No matter how you top it, though, just know that this soup belongs in your winter-weeknight-dinner-repertoire! It’s creamy, hearty, full of flavor, and pretty healthy. But don’t even ask me to give up cheese, because I’ll never do that hehe. 

Happy cooking!

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5 from 1 vote

One-Pot Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

By Stephanie Simmons

Made with healthy and hearty veggies like cauliflower, carrots, and celery - and tons of flavor! Top this soup off with bacon, cheddar, fresh herbs, or serve it with crusty bread for the best homemade meal.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tbsp salted butter
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, roughly sliced
• ▢ 3 stalks celery, chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot, chopped
• ▢ salt + pepper, to taste
• ▢ 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 medium golden potatoes, roughly chopped, I don't bother peeling them
• ▢ 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• ▢ 6 cups cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 tsp fresh thyme
• ▢ 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ bread, bacon, and herbs for serving
• ▢ optional homemade croutons, for serving, see notes

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Instructions 

• Make the Soup: Melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sautee, stirring, until the onions are translucent and softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring for another minute or two.

  Add the cauliflower, potatoes, chicken or veggie broth, bay leaves, thyme, and a generous sprinkle of salt and a dash of pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 14-16 minutes. The veggies should be super tender.
• Blend + Add Cheese: Carefully transfer the soup mixture to a blender, discarding the bay leaves. (Or use an immersion blender!) Blend the mixture until it's completely smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot, and keep over medium heat. Stir in the cheese, a handful or two at a time to prevent clumping. Taste and add more seasonings as desired.
• Serve + Store: Add a handful of the homemade croutons (see note below) to your bowl of soup with any other toppings you like (an extra sprinkle of cheese, some bacon, or chives!).

  Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to a week. Store leftover croutons in an airtight container at room temp for a few days.

Notes

Note: To make optional homemade croutons, slice a few baguette slices and cube each slice. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes to the pan and drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is golden and crispy.

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