Creamy, velvety, and oh so pretty in purple, cauliflower fennel soup. One of my latest additions to the fall soup rotation. Guys this is a show stopper with the vibrant purple and delicate toppings. It is packed with depths of flavour from the roasted cauliflower, fennel, spices, and herbs. I really enjoyed this one and I know you all will too – be sure to make it soon!
Why cauliflower?
Isn’t it incredible how popular cauliflower has gotten? From rice, to steaks to wings – cauliflower does it ALL!
- High in sulforaphane: Similar to broccoli and cabbage, cauliflower has a plethora of benefits including reducing the risk of cancer. Sulforaphone helps fight cancer by protecting cells from DNA damage as well as inactivating carcinogens.
- May support hormonal health: cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, have a plant element called indole-3-carbinol. It can reduce estrogen levels and could reduce the risk of breast and reproductive cancers in both women and men caused by estrogen.
- Immune support: Our star of this recipe is high in sulfur. This can help us with gut health and help against protecting us against infections. Sulfur helps support the production of glutathione, which helps maintain the gut lining and its regeneration.
- High in choline: Choline is something we need to regulate our moods and memory recollection. It’s essential for brain development too!
Does the cauliflower have to be purple?
Absolutely not! You can sub a white, green or orange cauliflower for this soup and it wouldn’t change the taste at all.
Overcooking the cauliflower
Sometimes when you overcook cauliflower you will smell it being sulphuric. The cauliflower will taste bitter and that bitterness will carry into the soup. Be sure to cook the cauliflower until it’s tender and not mushy. By overcooking it you will lose some valuable phytonutrients.
What is in the soup?
- Roasted Cauliflower – coated in delicious spices and roasted in the oven accentuates the flavour of the cauliflower. This will add a rich flavour in your soup!
- Fennel: this flavour that can be enhanced or sweetened depending on how it is cooked. When sauteed with onions as one of the first steps when making a soup fennel becomes very sweet.
- Spices & herbs: this will add a definite flavour boost!
- Arrowroot / tapioca powder: used to thicken the soup!
Why fennel?
Fennel has both vitamin A and vitamin C, which helps protect your immune system against respiratory viruses!
It also has a mild licorice taste which adds another dimension to this yummy soup.
How do you make this soup?
Preparing the cauliflower
I love roasting vegetables first before adding to soups. The charred spices give soups an extra depth of flavour for an amazing end result. I roasted the cauliflower in 4 easy steps which can be interchanged for most vegetables in any soup you make!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Cut the cauliflower into small florets
- Toss the florets in the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt
- Bake for 20 minutes
- leave aside as you make the other ingredients for the soup ready
Preparing the rest of the soup
Splash your olive oil in the pan. After it’s warmed up add your chopped veggies and garlic and let it sauté until fragrant and translucent. This usually takes 5-10 minutes depending on the oven you have (electric versus gas). Add in your spices and mix to coat the vegetables thoroughly and let everything cook for an additional few minutes.
Add in your lemon juice and vegetable stock and let everything come to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes until everything is soft.
Add in your cauliflower, but leave 1/4 cup of it for garnishing the soup if desired. Let it cook one final time for a few minutes before transferring to a blender. Please be careful as it’s very hot. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves!
Working in batches if needed, blend your cauliflower soup ingredients and then transfer it back to the pot. Use a high speed blender so you can get a very creamy blend. Taste and adjust for lemon and salt.
I love having an easy lunch recipe on hand for those days that are packed with the kids activities, work, and everything in between.
Why is this soup so amazing?
- vegan – all plants here, baby
- gluten free and dairy free – no cream or milk or flour to make it thicker
- the taste is just fantastic!
- It would pair so well with a sandwich or crusty bread!
- You could also make some rice and pour it over to make for more of a heartier meal!
- it will get your family to eat their vegetables AND ask for seconds!
How do you add flavours to the soup?
There are so many different flavours in this soup but if you feel like there’s something lacking you could try:
- paprika: smoked paprika or regular paprika can add a little kick to your soup
- jalepeno: I use pickled jalepeno slices often in my vegan cheese sauces, any creams or dips and definitely in soups too!
- hot sauce: This can thin out the soup a bit and had a kick if you like the taste of hot sauce
- lemon: sometimes adding a bit of acidity complements the sweet taste of fennel and cauliflower
- salt: sometimes it’s just as simple as adding a dash of salt to your soup to add a bit more flavour
- pepper: adding white pepper can add a softer taste that gives it a bit of a kick as well.
Garnishes and finishing touches
I love adding something crunchy to my soups. Spiced chickpeas would be a great addition to the creamy cauliflower and leek soup. I also added purple basil leaves and a few hot chili flakes.
- chopped chivess
- edible flowers
- chickpea or lentil “croutons”
- cauliflower “croutons” (from the ones you had set aside earlier)
- red chili flakes
- croutons: add them to the bowl when you’re eating so they don’t get soggy. Such a great crunch to go along with the creamy soup!
What can you serve alongside your soup?
- Crusty bread: Slice up a baguette, drizzle some olive oil on them and rub a sliced garlic glove. Place them in a frying pan and let them cook until golden brown. These are FANTASTIC to dunk into your soup!
- Salad: a wonderful hearty salad would pair wonderfully with this soup! Think croutons, lettuce and a delicious tangy dressing.
Can you freeze this soup?
Absolutely you can! If you do have any leftovers, you can seal them an air tight container and stick it in the freezer to have as for a tasty meal within 3 months.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? I’d love if you could leave a review! Thank you so much! I appreciate you so much!
Fancy some more cauliflower!? Try:
Here’s some more soup recipes you can try:
Ingredients
For roasted cauliflower
- 1 head purple cauliflower medium, cut into small florets
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 fennel
- 3 large celery branches chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4-5 leaves cilantro
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 cube veg bouillon
- 500 ml vegetable stock (more if you want the soup to be thinner)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp miso paste optional
- 3 tbsp arrowroot/tapioca powder
Instructions
For the roasted cauliflower:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Prepare baking tray.
- Place all your spices into a medium bowl.
- Working in small batches, toss florets in bowl placing the spiced cauliflower on the tray and doing the remainder.
- Bake for 20 min & leave aside.
For the soup:
- Dice up fennel (only the bulb part, not the stems), celery, onion & sautee them in a medium pot until soft
- Add in spices & let it become fragrant
- Add in lemon, vegetable stock & bring it to a boil. Bring it to a simmer and cover.
- Let it cook for 15 mins or until the vegetables are soft. Add in roasted cauliflower. Reserve 1/2 cup for garnishing.
- Remove bay leaves. Transfer to a blender & blend on high for 1 minute. Taste to check flavours.
Nutrition
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