This roasted cauliflower soup is hearty, smokey, full of flavor and healthy. The addition of smoked paprika gives this roasted cauliflower soup an extra punch as well as that vibrant golden yellow color. Vegan and dairy free! Easy to make and easy to digest!
Ingredients
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For roasting the Cauliflower
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1 large head of cauliflower, cut into bite size florets
3 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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For the Soup base
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2 cups onion, finely chopped ( combination of 1 medium size red onion + 1 medium size yellow onion )
1 cup red bell pepper or Italian sweet pepper, chopped
32 oz. (1 qt. / 947 ml) vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5-8 black pepper corns, whole or roughly crushed
1 teaspoon red chili flakes ( opt for ½ teaspoon to go easy on the heat or skip if needed )
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Himalayan pink salt, to taste
some reserved roasted cauliflower florets and lemon wedges, for garnish [ optional ]
Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper until lightly and evenly its coated in oil. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway.
While the cauliflower is roasting prepare for the soup base in a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and whole or cracked pepper corns once oil is heated.
Add the chopped onion along with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the chopped bell pepper or Italian sweet pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Next add red chili flakes, smoked paprika and ground black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Once this onion-pepper mixture is cooked and fragrant turn the heat to low and remove 1 cup of mixture and transfer it to the blender. (Make sure to discard the bay leaves.)
Reserve 4-5 caramalized pieces of roasted cauliflower for garnishing (optional) and transfer the remaining roasted cauliflower to the blender as well.
Add vegetable stock into the blender and blend until creamy. Work in batches if necessary. ( Do not fill past the maximum fill line on the blender jar or the soup could overflow! ) Alternatively you could reserve the onion-pepper mixture in a small separate bowl and transfer roasted cauliflower to the soup pot along with vegetable stock and use immersion blender to blend directly into the pot.
Once blended, transfer the blended mixture back to the soup pot and bring heat to medium-high. Wait for one gentle simmer while stirring occasionally, usually takes 8-10 minutes.
Once the pot is simmering, add the lemon juice and give it a good mix and remove from the heat. Adjust the salt if needed, I usually add 1 teaspoon of salt at this point. ( How much salt you add also depends on the amount of salt in your vegetable stock + the salt you added while roasting the cauliflower). Make sure you taste it 1-2 times towards the end, usually for me it needs more salt and/or lemon juice to brighten up all the flavors.
Serve the soup in individual bowls with the garnish of reserved roasted florets and a wedge of lemon. You could also garnish it with some parsley or chives.
Enjoy!
My Notes
You could always blend the entire onion-pepper mixture with roasted cauliflower for a more creamier soup, I like mine with lil chunks of onions and peppers.
You can easily reduce or omit the amount of olive oil use or use butter to make it even more decadent.
If you do not have red onion then use 2 cups of yellow onion or vice versa.
If you would like to go easy on the heat then skip the red chili flakes but do not skip the smoked paprika, that's what gives this soup that sweet extra smokiness.
If you do not have access to an oven, you could roast the cauliflower florets on stove top in a grill pan.
This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a covered container.
You could also freeze in the airtight container or ziplock bags for months!
Recipe by at https://www.urbancilantro.com/roasted-cauliflower-soup/