Spiced Cauliflower Soup with Spinach Pesto

About 8 years ago a friend of mine gave me a recipe to make a cauliflower spinach soup. I was hesitant, but it was delicious. It was bright green and loaded with flavor. Naturally I lost the recipe and have tried to re-create this creamy and flavor-rich soup with a bit of a re-mix. After much trial and error - I had only made the original soup one time after all - I created a version that had even more flavor and some elevated twists.



My version roasts the cauliflower and shallots (not yellow onions!) first. This step adds a crazy amount of depth and layered flavor. I also made a pseudo pesto/puree with my greens rather than having a pure green soup. Swirling in a green pesto/puree into the white/yellow soup elevates the dish a bit and makes it a little less "scary" to those with green aversions (cough cough, my husband, cough). I've also ramped up the spice in a serious way. Using whole coriander seeds and turmeric takes this to an entirely different level of flavor. Who likes boring soup? Not I, not I.

Step 1: Wash and cut 2 whole heads of cauliflower, removing the stems. You want to end up with about 5 cups of roasted cauliflower. Peel and roughly quarter 3 medium shallots, or one large red onion. Spread on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.

Hint: Roast a bit of extra cauliflower and keep it on hand to throw on a bed of spinach for a meaty lunchtime salad. 

Step 2: Roast 1 tsp whole coriander seeds on the stove top. Just roast until very fragrant and tasty (4-5 minutes) and grind up in spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Feel free to skip this step and sprinkle on 1 tsp ground coriander. Add 1 tsp or so kosher sea salt, a nice hit black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Shake the pan a bit to distribute the spices. Throw in a 425 degree oven and roast until everything is very tender and has a nice golden color (25 minutes or so).

Step 3: While the cauliflower and shallots are roasting, prep your pesto. Peel 6 large garlic cloves. Add three of them in the blender, save the other three for the soup base. Add 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil in the bottom of the blender, along with 1/4 cup of your favorite extra virgin olive oil. Add in 2 handfuls spinach and a small handful dandelion greens (omit or use kale if you don't have on hand), one pinch kosher sea salt, and 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (omit if you want a vegan pesto), and 1/3-1/2 cup toasted walnuts. Blend, starting on low, and feel free to add in a bit of stock or a bit more oil to get things going. 

Hint: Make sure your oil is at the bottom of the bender so you don't have a problem blending. 

Hint: Soaking your walnuts overnight and them roasting them on low heat for 10-20 min (around 180 degrees) takes the sharp, pungent edge off and they become wonderfully nutty and flavorful. 

Hint: I buy my Parmesan cheese in a nice big wedge so it stays fresh and so I'm not consuming a lot of unnecessary cellulose (used to keep pre-crumbled or shredded cheese from clumping). 

Hint: Next time you are out and about, check around to see if you can find a simple fine-tip squeeze bottle (try Smart & Final or the dollar store). They are so nice to have around. 

Step 4: Get the soup base going. Add 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or extra virgin olive oil to the pan. While the butter/oil melts, use tongs to grab all of the shallots/red onion off of the roasting pan and toss them in the pot. Let them hangout and melt into the ghee a bit, and then add in one medium sized potato, small diced, and 3 minced cloves garlic. Add in a big pinch of sea salt and fresh black pepper.

 Step 5: Let everything cook in the pot for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, over medium-high heat. Add in the roasted cauliflower (about 5 rounded cups worth), and 5 cups bone broth (or veggie or chicken stock). Stir and cover. Let come to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes (everything should be falling apart it is so tender) and remove from heat.

Step 6: Using an immersion blender, slowly blend things until they are broken down and a bit more smooth, but, still have some texture and body. 

Tip: If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to use a blender and do this in small batches. Just be VERY careful and keep a big kitchen towel over the lid of the blender. Hot things love to come exploding out of blenders. :)

Step 6: Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk, or whatever milk you'd like). Taste and adjust salt if needed. Ladle in a bowl and swirl in the pesto. Top with toasted almonds or pepitas and enjoy!

Spiced Cauliflower Soup with Spinach Pesto Swirl

Serves 6-8

2 heads cauliflower 

3 medium shallots (or one large red onion)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons kosher flake salt 

Black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon coriander (ground, or toasted whole seeds ground)

3 cloves garlic, small minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or extra virgin olive oil

1 medium Russet potato, small diced

5 cups bone broth (or veggie stock or chicken stock)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Toss the cauliflower and shallots and all spices (turmeric, red pepper flakes, coriander, pinch of salt and pepper) together with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee (or olive oil) in a large pot and add in shallots/onions (that were roasted with cauliflower), diced potato, and minced garlic. Cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes and add in about 5 rounded cups of the roasted cauliflower (save the extra!), 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher sea salt, and the broth/stock. Cook for about 10-15 minutes (or until the potatoes are ultra soft and the cauliflower is falling part in the broth). Puree with immersion blender, stir in almond milk (or your milk of choice), and taste to adjust salt. Swirl in pesto and serve with toasted almonds or pepitas. Enjoy!

Spinach Dandelion Greens Pesto

Serves 8-12

3 large cloves garlic

2 handfuls spinach

1 small handful dandelion greens (or watercress, kale, or just omit)

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (just a large slice off of the wedge will work as the blender will whazz it up)

1/3-1/2 cup toasted walnuts

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or just more EVOO)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for thinning out pesto (if needed)

Pinch of salt

Place all of the ingredients in the blender making sure that the oils and garlic are at the very bottom (this makes blending significantly easier). Start on low and slowly speed up the blender until everything is smooth and uniform in color and texture. If things get too thick, feel free to add in 1-2 additional tablespoons of oil, or 1-2 tablespoons of broth/stock. 

Tip: If you don't have a high-powered blender, use s food processor and stream the oil in through the feed tube. The leftover pesto is great on pasta or as a mix in for your favorite tomato soup!