Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup
Updated March 26, 2019
I am lucky Josh likes vegetables since I am a vegetarian. He doesn’t mind if meat doesn’t make an appearance at the dinner table. And if he is in the mood for some meat, he will make it himself to go with whatever we are having. I am also lucky he can cook:)
Cauliflower is the one vegetable that Josh can’t stand. No matter how many times I try to convince him it is fabulous, he always turns up his nose…until I made Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup.
I wasn’t expecting Josh to eat this soup, but to my surprise, he said he would try it. I had to feel his forehead to make sure he wasn’t sick. He didn’t have a fever and seemed fine, so I ladled the Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup into a bowl for him. I nearly fainted when he said he liked it. I told him it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if he didn’t want to eat it, but he devoured the entire bowl.
This soup is buttery and creamy…without any butter or cream. The roasted cauliflower is rich and filling, but without all of the calories. I did add a little white cheddar cheese to the soup for extra flavor. I used aged white cheddar which is a stronger cheese, so I didn’t have to use as much. I seasoned the soup with fresh thyme and rosemary.
This simple soup is perfect for a cold January day. I like to serve this soup with a salad and crusty bread or homemade croutons.
Even if you don’t like cauliflower, you should try this Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup. Josh liked it and he detests the white vegetable. I am still in shock he not only ate it, but LIKED it. And Caleb LOVED it. This soup is his favorite so far! I couldn’t feed him the soup fast enough.
If you are looking for a nutritious soup to start the new year, make this Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup. It’s a good one!
Looking for more healthy recipes? Check out our post on 75 Healthy Recipes to Kick Off 2013.
Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1 ½ pound head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and garlic cloves in the olive oil until well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place on a large baking sheet, in a single layer. Roast the cauliflower until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Chop up the roasted garlic. Add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend the soup until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm. We like to serve the soup with crusty bread or homemade croutons.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Delicious and comforting.
Best wishes for 2013!
Cheers,
Rosa
I have to laugh, every blog I went to so far today has been soup! Perfect weather for it. I just love cauliflower soup and yours looks amazing!!
yum!! I just saw a recipe for roasted cauliflower soup, but it didn’t include cheese – I like your version better 🙂
I make a similar soup on the regular!! Josh and I are huge fans of cauliflower soup- so darn yummy. Hope you’re having a good new year so far
I’ve never tried Cauliflower Cheddar soup! 🙂 Sounds amazing!
Sounds delicious! I will try it very soon, we are soup fans, here! Thanks for the recipe!
I love when my husband devours something that I wouldn’t expect him to like too! This soup looks so rich and creamy, yet it is so healthy! I cannot wait to make it! Happy New Year!
I could dive right into this soup, Maria! So comforting and delicious! YUM! Happy New Year!
I love how creamy cauliflower soup gets — no cream needed!
If I could swim in this soup, I would. YUMMY!
This soup sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I may need to make a quick trip to the store so it can be on the menu tonight.
We’ve been using lots of cauliflower in our soups, too, and I love how pureeing it naturally thickens the soup. I can see why Josh liked this so much!
Mmm so awesome sounding!
These are some beautiful photos!
I don’t normally like cauliflower either, but I usually love it roasted and in soups like this one. I love pureeing my soups, buy my hubby prefers them chunky and with some sort of meat!
Looks so yummy! Like a version of broccoli cheddar soup, but roasted cauliflower sounds so good!
Wow! This looks fantastic! Cauliflower is one thing I almost never think to buy/cook with, but I love it, so I’ll have to give this a go!
Looks super yummy! I love the smell and taste of roasted garlic and cauliflower. Wish I can try this soup this very second.
I am in sunny California, but it dropped to below 70 yesterday and I had to take my shorts off and wear long pants. Although it looks like it could be hot today! It’s cold for us, anything below 80 and we complain ( I am from England, so I can see the humor in this attitude).
I was looking for a cauliflower recipe and here it is!! Super. Thanks love.
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Sounds fantastic!!!!!!! Thank you so much! Craving a good, healthy soup recipe and I love cauliflower and with the cheese, yum … can’t wait to make this soup!
Mmm…I love broccoli cheddar soup. This is a nice variation!
I cannot wait to try this, it looks absolutely delicious!
With cauliflower being on sale this week, I will have to give this a try. Looks yummy.
I have been searching for a yummy soup to add to our dinner menu this week! Finally found it, thank you! Although Josh probably won’t like it, you should try cauliflower mashed potatoes we made them for Xmas and they were so tasty I couldn’t believe it!
Yummo…roasting the cauliflower gives the soup even more flavor!
I made cauliflower soup a couple of weeks ago and it was SO good. Roasted cauliflower is especially tasty…This may have to be my next cauliflower recipe 🙂
I definitely need heaven to help me.
My husband is as meat-and-potatoes as they come but he also loves vegetarian meals. This is right up our alley!
that’s so awesome Josh ended up loving this soup! it looks so warm and comforting!
My boyfriend THINKS he doesn’t like cauliflower either but in my opinion, he hasn’t given it a fair chance. Pretty sure I could convince him with this!
Ohhhh, this does look good! It must be divine since your hubby ate it!
mmm this would taste so good in a bread bowl!
I can’t wait to make this soup this weekend! And it’s the perfect excuse to use the new immersion blender we got as a wedding present. 🙂
I’ve never had cauliflower soup before. I’ll totally have to try it!
YUM, I love roasted cauliflower! I just made some potato soup with roasted cauliflower yesterday!
Such a cute story to go along with this fabulous looking soup! It’s so cold here, this would be perfect for lunch today.
I love a good, comforting soup, and this one looks yummy! I am a fan of cauliflower.
xo
What a yummy recipe. I can’t wait to make it. And don’t you just love when someone enjoys something they never have before?
Warm and delicious. Happy new year!
This sounds absolutely fantastic! I will be trying it this weekend!
I made this soup today after viewing the recipe last night. It is pretty good — just wondering if this soup can be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the soup!
I made this for dinner this week and it was great! The whole family liked it. Mine was not a nice white color due to the deep color of my veggie broth but it was still good!
Making this today! Sounds sooo good. I just might use Monterey Jack since I forgot to buy the white cheddar.
We are both huge cauliflower lovers so this is right up our alley. Pinning!
Love warm winter soups.
This soup is amazing. Made it tonight, my family and I LOVE it. I used smoked white cheddar though, had a after taste of smokiness 🙂
My friend made cauliflower soup the other day for our dinner and I was surprised by how much I loved it! I’m sure your version is amazing as well, so I’m not surprised Josh loved it!
This is going in the recipe box–cauliflower is one of the few vegetables my kids will reliably eat, and my toddler just recently started enjoying soup. My husband used to hate cauliflower as well, but when I started pureeing it for our first baby, he tasted it and was one over by its sweet, nutty taste. Maybe pureeing is the secret for getting cauliflower haters to come around!
This soup looks fantastic, Maria! I’m a huge cauliflower fan, and I love that it has no cream!
I made this soup over the weekend – it was delicious! I’m not usually a fan of creamy soups, but I’m already planning on making this again soon!
This is my second try at cauliflower soup and I love your recipe! My question is what brand of broth do you use or is it homemade? I use Pacific organic brand but its so dark my soup is not white! It taste good and the soup is just for me so I don’t mind, but would be nice to have a white cauliflower soup.
I think we used Imagine this time around. We like Pacific a lot though!
We are cauliflower fans in my house so I went out and bought an immersion blender just to make this soup – YUM!! My husband and 20 month old loved it too! Thanks!
Can you use broccoli instead of cauliflower? I like cauliflower but my husband doesn’t. 🙁
I haven’t tried broccoli. My husband doesn’t like cauliflower either and he liked this soup:)
This looks delicious. My family like a chunky soup and I was wondering if I could maybe puree just half of the soup in order to get the desired thickness/creaminess but mix it back in with the remaining veggie chunks?
I made this soup 3 days ago and I had to re-make it again today! My 2 teenage daughters LOVED IT! We three girls have decided to embrace the vegetarian lifestyle after going meat free several days a week last year. This year we have decided to go all the way and eliminate meat all together from our diets. This soup fits the bill and will be checking out more of your recipes online! Thank you!
This recipe includes all my favorite things: cheese, garlic and using my immersion blender…Can’t wait to try!
I made this soup tonight and it was amazing! Instead of the white cheddar, I used a cup of medium cheddar (because that’s what was in my fridge 🙂 then topped it with parmesan crostinis . YUM! Thank you!!!
This soup was wonderful. we used some homemade vegetable stock and just regular cheddar since we didn’t have sharp. it was tasty. definitely will be repeated!
This was a delightful soup! Never would I thought that I nor my family would ever eat cauliflower soup! My husband was the most skeptical but when he smelled it cooking he said it smelled marvelous ! Thanks for posting a wonderful winter soup!
This soup looks amazing. I am going to try it out tomorrow night, perfect after a snowy, winter day! I would love for you to link it to my linky party, my readers will LOVE this recipe! Here is the link to the party http://www.fivelittlechefs.com/2013/01/fantastic-thursday-27.html
I was so glad to see this recipe because I had been craving cauliflower but did not know what to do with it other than roast it. I had never had cauliflower soup before this. It is delicious and I love that there is no cream or butter in the recipe.
I made this today and it is delicious. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I just used dried and it still had great flavor! Thanks!
This soup was delicious, just finished the leftovers tonight. It was a big hit, thank you!!!
I just made this last night. It takes a bit of time but was well worth it!!! And my husband also loved it. I made my own croutons to go along with it.
Thanks!
I have seen two soup recipes,similar to this today. Itmismamsign I must make it.
I made this yesterday and it was FABULOUS! (I say “was” because it’s all gone already…Gotta go get some more cauliflower)
Glad you enjoyed the soup!
Love this recipe. My 3 and 5 yr old love this soup also.
Yay! Glad everyone likes the soup!
I made this soup last night. This was the best soup I have ever made. I even made it lighter by using Cabot’s 50% less fat white cheddar and it was awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Im on a special kidney diet, so I adjusted the soup to those specifications(no black pepper,no celery, less/different herbs) and it was wonderful! I also roasted the garlic to add some extra flavor. Thanks for sharing
Im on a special kidney diet, so I adjusted the soup to those specifications(no black pepper,no celery, less/different herbs) and it was wonderful! I also roasted the garlic to add some extra flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this today.. turned out delicious! Thanks a bunches for the recipe 🙂
Delicious!! I gave up meat for Lent, so I will be referencing your wonderful recipes a lot!
I make a similar soup but don’t bother roasting. I cook the cauliflower in chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. saute the onion and celery in a little evoo and add. Also I use yellow low fat shredded cheddar. Gives it a nicer color, I think. Good hot or cold in the summer. Also freezes well. A staple of my freezer.
Yum! I just bought a head of cauliflower and now I know what I am going to do with it!.
Absolutely delicious – a hit with my non-veggie lovin’ fiancee!
Very yummy and hearty. The kids didn’t like it but we certainly did!
Tried this in my new Cuisinart Blend and Cook soup maker! Forgot to get celery at the store (darnit!) but was still good! added some red pepper flakes for spice. To finish it off, we added home made croutons and a little sprinkle of Feta cheese 🙂 thanks for this one!
Glad you enjoyed the soup!
We love cauliflower, but you are so right — cauliflower soup has such a lovely, mild flavor. Nice, lighter version of a classic soup — I’ll have to try it with cheddar next time!
I LOVE this soup! I’ve made it 3 times already in the last 2 months and wow! And it’s HEALTHY! Mine always comes out darker because of the brand of stock I use, but that doesn’t bother me any!
Thanks so much! I’ve fallen in love with your blog!
I am so glad you like the soup!
I’m making this right now since our garden is overflowing with cauliflower. I was wondering if I could freeze this or if it’s not all used have it tomorrow as well. Haven’t had any yet, but it smells SO GOOD!
Looks delish!!! Any idea on the calories???
Delicious! I substituted half the liquid for chicken stock and the other half for a can of beer. So yummy! Thanks
Great website you two have here. Thank you for the help. I’m a mom of two (adult children) and grandma, of now 3 boys. I have forgotten my way around the kitchen a bit.
As the days get colder I am searching for intersting ways to make creamy soups that don’t get heavy with the cream. This is a great recipe! And your site looks great too, by the way….!
Thank you!
I just made this soup this afternoon. I did a few substitutions. Since I had no thyme, in it’s place I used dried oregano, basil, and a little poultry seasoning. Also, I used 4 cups of water and 2 “Not-chick’n” bouillon cubes. I purchased a cheddar & gruyere blend block of cheese from Trader Joe’s and that melted wonderfully (I may or may not have used way more than 1 cup of cheese). hehe 🙂 Good hearty, healthy soup. Thanks for your recipe.
I made your soup tonight. Used your ingredients. How did you get yours to turn out white? Vegetable broth, whether homemade or store bought, is a varying shade of amber. My soup was an unappealing beige.
If you do it right cauliflower can mimic potatoes. I sub 1/2 cauliflower in potato soups, and ib
YUM-MO!! We had “Snowmageddon” here in Texas (we got less than .5 of ice, but ya know), so I got as close as I could to following this recipe without a trip to the store. Some minor substitutions (chicken broth instead of veggie, sharp cheddar instead of white, etc.), but still a hands-down winner. Got rave reviews from both my hubby and my hard-core anti-cauliflower 5-year-old (She said it was even better than her favorite go-to restaurant—and it has a playground!). 🙂 Thank you, and well done!! Will follow it verbatim next time.
I didn’t know you’re a vegetarian! I’m a vegetarian too! Anyway, roasted cauliflower is my favorite vegetable, but I’ve never tried it as a soup… I will have to give this one a try.
I love this soup!!!! I have a big batch of it in my freezer so it’s perfect when I don’t feel like cooking for work.
This Roasted Cauliflower & Cheddar Soup looks so delicious! Just might be what’s for dinner tonight…was wondering what to do with the cauliflower I have in the fridge! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Saw this recipe today, had most of the ingredients in the kitchen and it’s now simmering on the stove. It’s excellent! I used Italian Seasoning instead of the rosemary and thyme.
that head of cauliflower in the fridge has been waiting for this recipe! His purpose is found! Can’t wait to try this….delicious and relatively healthy!
Made this for dinner tonight… It was great! We’ll for sure be making it again!
Love this soup! Just made it for 35 people, and it was a hit!
Yay!!
I used a young gouda that I had on hand. It was delicious. Thanks for sharing!!
Just went searching for a recipe for roasted cauliflower soup. Yours was the first to come up so I decided to give it a try. Delicious!! Thanks!
Amazing! Made two batches, one for a sick friend and one for my family. Everyone loves it! Win win all around!
Love this delicious and easy soup! I think the recipe is perfect as is. It is one of my daughter’s favorite soups.
Yay! Glad she likes it!
This is the most delicious soup. It’s a heartier soup than I expected and each bite you want to savor before swallowing…mmm…good!
Thanks! So happy you like it!
This soup is fantastic! Hearty and creamy and just wonderfully rich. I added croutons, but it needs next to nothing with the rosemary and thyme!
I notice in eon #3 you are serving “bread: with crusty bread.
I assume this is a typo and should be serving soup with crusty bread. Looks like go use for cauliflower/
Fixed:)
Is is my all-time fav recipe! I make it once a month. Everyone always asks where I got the recipe and I point them here. Just such a flavorful and filling soup!!
Nutrition information, please.
This recipe was really good! It felt a bit heavy on the thyme but otherwise I really really enjoyed it! Is it possible to substitute dry herbs for the fresh ones because it would be a lot more affordable? if so, do the measurements need to be adjusted?
I made this last year and absolutely loved it. I was wondering if you have ever made it in an instapot and if that would affect how you make it? I am wanting to make it again but will need to double it and do not have a pot big enough, but I do have an instapot.
Just finished TWO bowls. Fantastic. This is why I have their cookbook. I know every recipe will be a winner. Thank you so much.
I love this recipe and have made it a couple of times! But, I am watching what I eat…do you have the nutritional information? Or at least how big a serving size is and how many this serves? Thanks!
So easy to make and absolutely delicious! Used fresh thyme ad rosemary from my little garden which made it even better!!
The amount of cauliflower-seems to be an error? Looks like great soup! Thank you!
As promised I made this. I got 5 servings but I had a smaller head of cauliflower
I used 30 c non flavored almond milk, and I blended 1 1/2 cups and stirred it back into the pot and held out the cheese till serving.
This was delicious.
Glad you loved it!
Not something I’ll make again. I didn’t enjoy the flavor, nor eating “soup” the consistency of malt-o-meal.