Something horrible happened this morning. I woke up and thought, “YUP I’m making Cream of Coconut Tomato Soup” and then I went to my pantry and THERE WERE NO TOMATOES. I can honestly say I don’t remember the last time I had no canned tomatoes in my pantry. Even if I have 5 cans, I’m picking up 5 more cans every time I’m at the store. Because you never know, right? Impromptu Mexican fiesta and no tomatoes for salsa? Life over. I’m not quite sure what went wrong here, but let’s move on.  I had a head of cauliflower so I started there. I like my cauliflower soup to be super simple because I love the taste of cauliflower, so I used mostly broth to flavor it with a little heavy cream. I recommend organic heavy cream over milk because full fat, natural dairy has more health benefits than processed dairy and it doesn’t have all those milk sugars that regular milk has.  How dreamy does that soup look in the sun?

This recipe is just as simple and quick as my tomato soup and is a really delicious way to get your veggies in. Cauliflower is full of fiber and this soup has some healthy fats from the organic cream, grass fed butter and bacon so paired with some salmon or a sexy steak, this is a perfect meal to keep you full for hours. For an even quicker meal, you can mix in a few big scoops of Greek yogurt for your protein. 

This recipe will freeze well, so double up. I’ve recently been doubling almost everything I make because I’m too busy to cook during the week. When my meal prep gets boring or I do a crappy job at it, I can just pull something out of the freezer and it really saves the day.

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Bacon

Author: Megan Kober, RDN, LD

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Perfect for fall or summer – Silky, creamy, simple cauliflower soup with crunchy bacon.

Ingredients

• 4 strips of bacon

• 4 1/2 c broth

• 1/2 c organic heavy cream

• 2 Tbsp grass fed butter

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 small onion, sliced

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tsp salt + black pepper

• 1/4 c Greek yogurt

• Chopped green onion [garnish]

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place bacon on a cooling rack and place the rack on a baking sheet with edges.

3. Bake bacon for 12-15 minutes. Let cool, then chop into bits.

4. Meanwhile, heat broth, cream, butter, cauliflower, onion, thyme and bay leaf in a large saucepan over medium heat.

5. Once simmering, cover, lower heat and let it go for 15 minute or until cauliflower is tender.

6. Wait until soup is cool enough to handle and carefully transfer to a blender. Blend, then return to pot.

7. Stir yogurt into soup.

8. Taste and adjust salt, if needed.

9. Ladle into bowls and top with crispy bacon, green onions and black pepper to taste.

Notes

The yogurt is totally optional, but it does add a touch of acidity and some extra creaminess.