Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with Green Beans and Carrots
Warm soup on a chilly day
Autumn Weather Brings A Chill
I love summer, I love the heat and I love the sun. So when the Autumn weather begins to intrude on my nice hot summer days I instantly start taking out scarves, sweaters and the Crockpot. I actually enjoy Autumn, to a certain extent; if I didn't know winter was coming next, I would love it even more. There are things that I do love about fall like apple cider, applesauce, Halloween and of course soup. I am known to eat homemade chicken noodle soup while perfectly healthy on a 105 degree day. I not only really love soup, I love even more how easy they are to make at home.
Canning Leftovers
This year I really got into canning, everything from spaghetti sauce to dilly beans. I found this great organic farm in Illinois that sold their veggies at such a great price that I ended up getting triple of what I originally went there for in the first place. Extra veggies? Not a problem for me! One of things that I had a lot of was cauliflower, and after roasting, boiling and eating raw with some ranch dressing I needed a change. This week the weather went from 95+ degrees to 65 degrees which for me was a HUGE change. I instantly craved spiced apple cider and soup, and it just so happened that I had a lot of random left over veggies that would work perfect.
I hope you enjoy this soup... and it may look like a lot of steps but it is well worth it. I snitched some without the cheese sauce, and that was very good, so if you are looking for a lighter soup, this tastes great sans the cheese sauce.
Cook Time
How To Peel Garlic In 10 Seconds
Ingredients
- 1 Head Cauliflower, Chopped with large stems removed
- 2 Cups Cooked Green Beans, Fresh or Frozen
- 2 Cups Carrots, Shredded
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1/2 Large White Onion, Chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
- 1 Cup Flour
- 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic. Let cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and carrots and cook covered on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes stirring enough to make sure the vegetables don't brown on the bottom.
- Turn down heat to medium and add chicken stock. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. (the carrots will still have substance)
- In another pot melt the butter on medium heat and slowly add the flour to create a roux. Add the milk and keep stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir continuously until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Using a stick blender, puree the vegetables. Add the cheese sauce to the soup, stir and let simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add green beans and stir.
- Salt and pepper to liking and enjoy!
Don't Be Limited to Carrots and Greenbeans
- It may not take you the amount of time that I stated on the recipe - keep in mind that I was figuring out the ingredients and how to go about it while I was cooking it.
- I like a little soft crunch with my carrots, so this recipe has that consistency. If you would like softer carrots, or carrots to be pureed add them before the cauliflower and cook for 10-15 minutes longer.
- Although this is an odd note... it is important to me and maybe, just maybe someone else who feels the same way. I am from Vermont, where our cheddar cheese is white, not yellow or orange. I recently moved to Wisconsin, where ALL of their cheddar is orange and yellow. We can rarely find the white cheddar (normally only Cabot, which is a Vermont brand!) and for some reason this really matters to us. I can assure you... after being forced to use orange cheddar cheese it still tasted amazing. It was not nearly as sharp as I'm used to, but it did give it that nice creamy taste.
- Definitely switch the chicken stock for vegetable stock if you wish to do so... I normally use vegetable stock for soups but chicken is what I had so that is what I used.
- Don't limit yourself to just carrots and green beans by any means. I used what I had and it turned out great. The cauliflower base is so forgiving and really goes well with any veggies. The next time I make this I plan to throw some broccoli in as well.
Other Great Recipes
Healthy and Hearty Vegetable Ginger Lentil Soup
A hearty soup that is made with tons of Ginger, favorite vegetables and hearty lentils. A favorite in my house durning the winter, or even just on damp rainy days. It freezes really well, so you can make a big batch and take some out to heat up whenever you want.
Healthy Spinach, Brown Rice and Ginger Warm Salad
This is a quick meal, or even a side dish that everyone will love. The essence of ginger with spinach is one of my favorite, and served over hearty brown rices will fill hungry bellies. This is a great recipe for busy week nights or even leftovers for lunch the next day.
Spinach with Ginger and Apples over Barley
Mixing vegetables and fruit is always a fun way to make meals, and adding ginger just makes it that much better. This is a nice hearty meal that tastes amazing and fills you up. The crisp apples against the flavorful spinach with pops of ginger is hard for anyone to resist.
