My all-time best recipe: Cauliflower Cheddar Soup
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 
Do you like scalloped potatoes? Of course you like scalloped potatoes. This is the soup for you. There aren't actually potatoes in it at all, but you won't miss them. This is one of those recipes that seems to break the universe's laws of calorie to flavor ratio. A giant bowl of cheesy deliciousness comes out to about 250 calories? Oh heck yes.
Cauliflower Cheddar Soup
makes 8 servings, 2 cups each
2 heads cauliflower
2 bell peppers - This is where your soup gets it's color from. I think orange peppers make the prettiest soup, but red or yellow ones will also work.
8 cups chicken broth - preferably homemade
9 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese - I use Cabot Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese from Costco.
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Optional Garnish
bacon, baked and crumbled - 6 slices
green onion, diced - half a bunch
sour cream - 4 oz.
pepper to taste
Cut the cauliflower and bell peppers into large chunks. Add cauliflower, bell peppers, and chicken broth to a large pot. Bring chicken broth to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes to steam the vegetables.
Cut the cheese into large chunks.
Blend cooked veggies, chicken broth, and chunks of cheese in batches. Fill the blender most of the way with cooked veggies, fill a little more than half way with broth, and add some of the cheese. Place a dish cloth over the top of the blender and hold it down firmly when you turn on the blender. (Note: if you skip the part with the dish cloth, there is a very real danger that you will cover your kitchen and yourself in boiling hot liquid. Learn from my mistakes!) Repeat until all the soup is blended. If you like, you can use an immersion blender instead, but the texture of the soup will be much smoother and creamier if you use a regular blender.
Add salt and stir.
All the toppings are entirely optional. This soup is incredible all on it's own, but toppings certainly make it more visually appealing. Add a sprinkle of crumbled bacon, diced green onions, and/or a dollop or sour cream.
Nutrition
2 cups of soup with no toppings:
163 calories
11 grams fat
11 grams protein
5 grams carbohydrate
1 gram fiber
2 cups of soup with 3/4 of a slice of crumbled bacon, 1 Tbsp. of diced green onions, and 1 Tbsp. of sour cream:
244 calories
18 grams fat
15 grams protein
6 grams carbohydrate
1 gram fiber
Having some of this soup in my fridge and/or freezer makes it easy for me to stay on track. It's quick to reheat and fills me up. I think it takes my general stress level about food way down, because I know I have something ready that's delicious, filling, and healthy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Reader Comments (1)
Ok, if it's your all-time best recipe, we will do it the day after our next chicken (for the chicken-broth) and I'll tell you some news ! Thank you !