Cauliflower does not always appeal to everyone, especially children: with this simple cauliflower and potato soup recipe, you have a better chance of getting even the little ones to eat this vegetable rich in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, all valuable for our health. There are many recipes to make cauliflower and cruciferous vegetables more appealing – cauliflower flatbread, baked cauliflower, cauliflower alla pizzaiola – but especially during these cold days, cauliflower soup can be particularly appreciated, offering a warm and comforting meal, great both enjoyed simply or accompanied by crispy bread croutons. Preparing cauliflower and potato cream soup is easy and quick: just cook the vegetables chopped into not-too-large pieces in a pot for 10-15 minutes, adding some spring onion for flavor. Once blended, the cauliflower and potato soup can be enriched, if you like, with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring
- Energy 231.89 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 29.49 (g) of which sugars 5.56 (g)
- Proteins 8.42 (g)
- Fat 10.79 (g) of which saturated 2.72 (g)of which unsaturated 0.83 (g)
- Fibers 6.42 (g)
- Sodium 572.05 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 400 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Cauliflower and Potato Soup
- 28 oz cauliflower (florets)
- 14 oz potatoes
- 2 spring onions
- as needed vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot large with lid
- 1 Immersion Blender
How to prepare the creamy cauliflower and potato soup
To prepare the cauliflower and potato soup, start by slicing the spring onion into rings (1). Remove the large leaves and stems from the cauliflower and cut the larger florets into 4 parts (2). Peel the potatoes and dice them (3).
In a large pot, sauté the spring onion in oil over low heat (4). Then add the potatoes (5) and let them soak in the flavor for a few seconds. Add the cauliflower florets (6).
Season with salt and pepper, and pour about 600 ml of hot vegetable broth (7). Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a small gap for steam to escape – if you have a glass lid with a small hole it’s perfect – and cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
After about ten minutes, check that the vegetables are tender and continue cooking for a couple of minutes without the lid, to let the excess water evaporate (8). Once you have blended the cauliflower soup, it will be difficult to make it thicker.
Remove the pot from the heat and blend the cauliflower cream with an immersion blender directly in the pot until you obtain a smooth, thick, and creamy mixture (9). If you have difficulty blending the vegetables, you can add a little water or broth.
Put the cauliflower cream back on the stove and let it simmer for about a minute, then turn off the heat and add, if you like, the grated Parmesan cheese (10). Stir well to mix it into the soup (11).
Serve the cauliflower soup immediately, alone or accompanied by crispy bread croutons.
Storage
Serve the cauliflower soup immediately, alone or accompanied by crispy bread croutons.
Tips and variations
You can flavor the cauliflower and potato soup with herbs and spices of your choice: turmeric, paprika, chives, a pinch of curry or licorice powder.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can I use instead of potatoes?
Potatoes make the cauliflower cream dense and velvety and sweeten its flavor. You can reduce the amount even to 200 g, for a more intense cauliflower flavor and a less caloric dish. If you need to eliminate them completely, you’ll need to thicken the soup another way: after blending it, transfer it to a separate bowl and, in the pot, prepare a roux similar to what is used for béchamel by melting 25 g of butter over low heat and then adding 20 g of cornstarch. Let it cook for about a minute, stirring constantly, then gradually add the cauliflower cream and let it simmer over low heat until you reach the desired thickness.
What can I use instead of an immersion blender?
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a standard blender, the kind with a large jug, and once blended, transfer the resulting cream back into the pot.
