luscious cauliflower soup
October 17, 2014 § 73 Comments
Someone asked me the other day if I usually know in advance what I am making for dinner. I had to pause and think about the answer for a moment because I am always aware of what’s in my refrigerator and have a general idea of what I will be cooking for dinner. However, a majority of the time I don’t actually make what I originally had in mind when I bought the ingredients. This cauliflower soup is a perfect example. We have been enjoying this wonderful warm cauliflower cous cous with chili and lime and this was part of my plan for dinner last Wednesday, and the reason I purchased cauliflower. 
Fall weather is definitely here and it happened to be a cool wet day. I spent some time outside and admittedly a bit unprepared for the cool misty day in my canvas Converse sneakers, which left me chilled and damp footed for the rest of the day. As I was driving home from work, with the heater blasting my feet, I thought about the warm cauliflower salad and I couldn’t wait for dinner. Nevertheless with the chill in the air (and cold feet) I couldn’t get my mind off of a pot of soup simmering on the stove. By the time I reached home I decided to make cauliflower soup instead. This soup is very creamy and irresistible. And to think I actually had creme fraiche in the refrigerator, unheard of!
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut up
- 3 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 medium red onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 cups stock, chicken or vegetable
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 7 ounces creme fraiche
- 1/2 cup good cheddar cheese
- several chives for snipping on top
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add potatoes and coat well. Continue to cook for 5 minutes and add the cauliflower. After cauliflower is well coated add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low continue to slow boil until potatoes are tender. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until desired consistency. We like our soup to have a small amount of texture, so leaving some cauliflower and potato whole is preferred. Add cheese, half & half and creme fraiche. Stir in chive snippets and serve. 
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
Luscious is right, saved this recipe. Love the soup!
Hi Suzanne, nice to see you. I think about you and Nando often…
Great recipe – will be making this soon.
Thank you! Hope you get a chance to try it Jovina.
Delicious! Will be trying, looks perfect for chilly evenings!
You are right, it is perfect for a chilly evening. I really loved this soup. So wonderfully creamy.
The soup definitely looks luscious and very tasty! :)
:) thank you!
I love a good, creamy cauliflower soup and yours looks wonderful and inviting! Going to try it out this fall :)
I actually make cauliflower soup often and it turns out different every time. This recipe is my new favorite. I think adding the creme fraiche is what really made the difference. :)
I love this soup Seana It’s a great thing to have all the ingredients on hand.
Oh Cheri I do hope you make it. Don’t you just love when you have all the ingredients on hand to make a nice meal “impromptu”. It is very satisfying.
Talk about something beautiful making me stop and wish I had a bowl immediately. I love an silky smooth cauliflower soup. Yours looks divine!
Well hello there! Something about seeing a bowl of soup (for me anyway) always makes me yearn for one, so I relate. :) Very happy to see you here today…
The soup looks delicious! Will try this one in the future :)
Thank you so much. :)
OK, thanks, you’re making me feel not quite so bad about fall!
Oh good, glad I can help! :)
I am the ultimate fall soup maker/eater in this house. I will add this one to my list as it looks perfect!! (now written down on a sticky note, OMG I’ve been meaning to make an electronic file of recipes I want to make, but you know…) :) Beautiful and yummy-sounding soup!
You and me both. That’s exactly one of many reasons I enjoy fall….soup! Funny you mention making an electronic file for your recipes. I’m an electronic file queen when it comes to work, but recipes? Nope! I am completely unorganized. I have recipes in every form…even stickies too! :) Make the soup!
I know, right? I work as an analyst at a software development company. We do EVERYTHING electronically, but all my recipes (aside from the ones I post on my blog) are all others are chicken-scratch pieces of paper. LOL! Yes, I WILL make this soup. In fact, I am going to add the ingredients I don’t have to my shopping list today. :)
Love the cauliflower cous cous recipe..lovely idea…
:) It’s delicious. A bit of work though since I don’t own a food processor anymore. Chopping the cauliflower into little cous cous size bits is, well, a mess, as you can imagine. Although I don’t always comment on your posts I’m always present in your audience. You are one of my favs!
Converse… Very hipster! :)
Very nice soup my friend. I am a big fan of this stuff. My Nanas classic cool weather remedy!
A sopping hipster. :) Your Nana knows what it takes to warm you up. It really works!
Perfect! We love cauliflower soup here too Seana, and think adding some cheese makes it irresistible. I hate cold feet, I’m always miserable when my feet are cold..
Just the other day I had to get the wool socks out. Thank goodness for Smart Wool. :) I imagine you are warming up nicely these days!
I’ve never had a “set” cauliflower soup recipe – It seems I’m always trying something new, and this one looks particularly lovely! I’m excited to try it!
I’m the same. My cauliflower soups turns out different every time I make it. This is my new favorite and most like will be a “go to” because not only is it frugal, it is also very simple to make!
Well, it really does look good, and although I love cauliflower, sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming in a soup, and my son doesn’t always like the texture of it – so this looks like it is smooth and gorgeous and might solve that problem.
Not that I mind a lot of cauliflower, but when it’s just my son and me, if he doesn’t like something, I end up eating it for days…On the other hand, if he DOES like something, I sometimes have to hide a bit of it away before he sucks it all down!
The only concernI have about this soup is to have discovered how good is too late. I missed too many cauliflower soups!!! Love the addition of cheddar cheese, it has to give the soup an amazing taste!
Nooo! never too late for cauliflower soup! ;) The cheddar cheese was used very lightly so it was a nice and light. The creme fraiche is what really made this luscious and flavorful. Thank you Margherita!
I made this too today :)
Oh good! Did you use this recipe or coincidently make cauliflower soup too?
No I used a Pete Evan’s recipe. Will be doing a post soon. Will try your version soon.
That looks like a delicious soup with a nice crusty bread. I like the combo of chives and creme fraiche. It’s good to see you here. I love reading what you’re eating. Cauliflower is such a sponge for flavor and so often overlooked. Good job bringing it back to life!
Put so well. Cauliflower is a sponge for flavor. Have you had the chance to make a cous cous type dish with cauliflower yet? It’s incredible, I know you would love it. And I always like hear from you Amanda! Thank you. :)
Thanks, Seana! Yes, I did a cool colorful cauliflower couscous and you’re right. I did love it. I threw some spices on it and an egg with some greens. It’s my go-to “i’m all alone and don’t feel like making anything” meal :)
Oh SO yummy! Soup – and the car heater on my feet – are two really good things about the cold weather :)
Cauliflower is not something I cook with often as dad doesn’t like it, but I’ll treat myself to this, definitely. Thank you!
Oh my goodness, I haven’t heard from you in so long Trixpin! Nice to see you here. :) Hopefully you’ll buy yourself a small cauliflower and enjoy soup for one. Although, I imagine even if your dad doesn’t like cauliflower he just may like this soup. It doesn’t have that pungent cauliflower taste at all. xx
I’m so sorry not to have visited. Actually, when I got an email update about this post I realised that I hadn’t had updates from your site for ages – either WordPress stopped them or my email account had a blip. I should have noticed!
Hopefully it won’t happen again because I love getting your posts through – they’re always so delicious and tempting :D
Luscious is the perfect description for this soup Seana! It looks so wonderfully smooth and luxurious. I look forward to trying this sometime soon… before summer sets in!
Hard to imagine summer is just around the corner for you. I imagine you are very happy to feel the warmer temperatures by now. And I think the word luxurious describes this soup wonderfully. :)
I made your divine soothing smooth delicious cauliflower soup &it was really tasty too! Very yum yum! :)
:) Thank you Sophie, so glad you enjoyed the soup.
:)
Ah, makes me want want WANT this soup!
Azita! Hello! Thank you so much for stopping in. I must visit your blog and see what you have been up to…
LOVE cauliflower soup! Perfect as the weather gets colder. Thanks for sharing!
Cauliflower soup has fast become my favorite these days. I love it too! :)
This soup sounds so delicious! I love making soup in cooler weather!
Thank you Nancy. I love making soup in cooler weather too! Well, actually I make soup year round now that I think about it. Soup is just about my favorite meal. :)
Oh my Seana, want a glorious soup. Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetable and I am so trying a versions of this soup soon. My husband doesn’t like cauliflower but I can eat it daily. Bookmarking it to try :).
Would love to see your version of this soup Sonal. I think if my husband didn’t like cauliflower I would still make it….for me! :) I love it too.
[…] Cauliflower and Potato Soup Adapted from Luscious Cauliflower Soup by Cottage Grove […]
Luscious is right! This soup would be perfect for the the chilly days ahead and, best of all, it’s really quite simple to make. I’ll be leaving the farmers market this Saturday with a cauliflower in my bag. :)
Hi John! Thank you so much for stopping in. You are right, this soup couldn’t be easier and it’s fantastic. Hope you picked up a cauliflower! Love to hear your version…
oh, divine. And fun to read about your cooking process… I’m all for letting inspiration guide decisions. Am horrible at planning too far in advance because who knows what I’ll feel like cooking at that point! Betting you hear me.
And creme fraiche: Do you make your own? I found out how easy it was five or so years ago and am never without it now :-D
Planning meals in advance never work out do they? Like tonight, I was going to a split pea soup and I just didn’t have the palate for it. I ended up using lentils instead! Now I’m happy. ;)
This soup looks delicious!
This looks so beautiful Seana. I do love a creamy vegetable soup and the idea of adding in creme fraiche and cheddar sounds divine!! Yummo. I wish I had a kitchen here as it’d go beautifully with the dreary cold weather in England today. Lovely photos as always too xx
Hi Laura! Cold dreary weather over here in Seattle Washington too. Actually this city is very similar in weather patterns as England. Hope you are enjoying the tail end of your stay and thank you for visiting! xx
[…] Cottage Grove House: Steaming bowls of your cauliflower soup would take the chill off these October […]
Lovely looking soup Seana – and the perfect antidote to being cold and damp. I have a recipe for cauliflower risotto pinned to my fridge. And i keep meaning to go get a cauliflower….
Cauliflower risotto sounds fantastic! Last time I went to the market I picked up two cauliflowers and used one up yesterday. I still have one and would love to see your risotto recipe. Are you going to post it?
Well now you’ve got me motivated! ;)
I’ll make it this weekend and so long as it’s wonderful – I’ll post it!
Cauliflower soup is definitely one of me favorites. Yours looks delicious – perfect for a chilly fall evening.
Thank you Amy. Nice of you to stop in for a visit. :)
Hi Seana– We had cauliflower soup this week too– but the cauliflower was about the only ingredient that was the same as your recipe! I’d like to try your version– sounds a little lighter and is so pretty in the bowl!
Cauliflower soup. Anyway you cook it is so delicious. I love it. :)
You’re right Seana– I’m just glad to be back into “soupy” weather again–some cozy eating!
One look at this soup and I knew it had the appropriate name…luscious indeed, Seana. :) The ingredient list sounds simple yet delicious…already pinned! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much Nancy! You always leave such kind comments… :)