My sweet, sweet friends, this cauliflower chowder is e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. This is seriously so healthy (pretty much because of the bacon, duh), and you wouldn’t even know it, because it’s just that yummy. I think I “taste-tested” half the pot of soup, which is totally okay and normal, so no guilt here (#yolo). And listen, if you honestly want a healthier, perhaps vegetarian version of this soup, you can skip the bacon. But I’m totally judging. Sorrynotsorry.
Also, can we just sidetrack and chat for a second about my grocery shopping habits? Regardless of whether I’m completely comfortable with eating half a pot of soup – I need a little reassurance from time to time…
And I’m hoping you can offer that support, because I’m 98% confident the lady at the grocery store gave me the major side eye when I was checking out the other day. It is completely, universally, with out question appropriate to purchase multiple (I won’t name numbers…) packages of bacon at one time, right? Who knows, I could be feeding a family of twelve.
She has no idea it’s really only the sous chef and I, and sometimes I’d appreciate the benefit of the doubt (that I might actually have a family of twelve…. on a diet consisting solely of bacon – and wine. But no wine for the kids. Yet. Given that they are non-existent, they obviously aren’t old enough for wine.). So you’re on board, right? Not weird at all. Good. Thanks for your solidarity, always.
Oh, and I’ll spare you from the hour or two chat on my wine shopping habits…
Back to the star of this show, the soup: if you’re totally dissing this because it has cauliflower in it – and not like, potatoes, or something – you have no idea what you’re in for. I’m trying to figure out how best to describe this hug in a bowl so you can fully grasp it’s spicy, creamy deliciousness. I don’t know that I can do it justice, so you may just have to give it a try (you can thank me later)!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
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- 1 head cauliflower chopped into florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 strips bacon cooked (reserving two tablespoons of bacon fat)
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 3/4 cup carrots peeled and diced
- 3/4 cup celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk (we used whole milk, because that's what we had on hand)
- 1 cube chicken bouillon optional
- 1 tablespoon thyme dried
- 2 teaspoons ground cayenne
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the cauliflower florets in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast cauliflower for 25-28 minutes, until the cauliflower is cooked through and golden brown on the bottom. Set aside and let cool.
- In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon. Remove the bacon and set aside. Once cooled, crumble the bacon. Discard all but two tablespoons of bacon fat.
- Heat the dutch oven with remaining bacon fat over medium heat.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the dutch oven, and saute until the vegetables begin to brown and are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Add the flour to the vegetables in the dutch oven, stirring for 2-3 minutes, until flour has dissolved into mixture.
- Slowly pour the chicken broth into the dutch oven, stirring constantly for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the cup of milk.
- To the soup, add the chicken bouillon cube, thyme, cayenne, garlic salt and pepper.
- Add the roasted cauliflower florets and crumbled bacon to the dutch oven.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup for 1-2 minutes until the large chunks have broken down, leaving small chunks for texture.
- Let simmer for 10-15 additional minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Our wine pairing is the 2014 Raeburn Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Subtle pear and apple flavors will balance the spice of the soup, while the creaminess of the wine will perfectly complement this gorgeous soup. Cheers!
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