Name: Lighter & Healthier Cauliflower Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 Pounds Cauliflower ((6-7 cups chopped)); 1 1/4 Cups Celery ((4-5 stalks)); 2 Cloves Garlic ((minced)); 1 Cup Gruyere Cheese ((plus more for garnish)); 1 Cup Milk ((whole)); 1 Cup Heavy Cream; 2 Cups Chicken Stock ((or vegetable stock)); Pinch of nutmeg; 2 Tablespoons Butter; 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil; Salt and White or Black Pepper to Taste ((white pepper is prettier for this dish)); Cooked Bacon ((chopped for garnish)); Green Onions ((for garnish))

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This Lighter & Healthier Cauliflower Soup is so easy, a little cheesy and now…low carb and gluten free!

I’ve been making this Cauliflower Soup for over 25 years, but I used to add flour, potatoes and carrots. It’s not as cheesy as Pepé, but that’s a good thing. That’s right, I recently modified this soup to be low carb and gluten free. I ditched those high carb ingredients and I also swapped out the cheddar cheese for Gruyere cheese instead. Think of Potatoes Dauphinoise, but with cauliflower instead of potatoes and it’s a soup instead of a casserole.

Hearty not heavy, so definitely healthier. Ha!

This Cauliflower Soup is hearty, but it’s not heavy. It’s not super thick and loaded with cream or cheese – it has some cream, and some cheese, but not so much that you will feel guilty eating it. It’s a trimmed down and healthier version than the one I always made in the past. Serve with this Bacon, Apple, Walnut & Arugula Salad or any salad for a nice, light change of pace.

Vertical image from overhead of a salad containing bacon, apple, arugala, walnuts, and red onions in the upper left corner, and a bowl with cauliflower soup garnished with green onions and bacon in the bottom right corner. — Serve with this **Bacon, Apple, Walnut & Arugula Salad** with homemade Balsamic Dressing for a nice, light change of pace.

Are there vegetarian options?

You bet there are. If you’re a vegetarian, you can easily use vegetable stock instead of chicken and obviously skip the bacon garnish or use a plant based imitation bacon. If you’re vegan… well, I can only go so far and this is not for you. Sorry.

Do I need an instant pot?

No, this soup only takes about 45 – 60 minutes and although I love multi-cookers, it seems that most recipes don’t mention the time that it takes to build the pressure and then release the pressure, or how you have to keep the valve cleaned. I keep my 6 quart dutch oven on my stove top every day. It’s great for cooking so many things, it’s pretty and it’s easier to clean. Plus, if we don’t eat it all, I just put the dutch oven in the fridge – the next day, I put it back on the stove and heat it up (slowly).

Instructions:

Melt butter and oil in dutch oven or soup pot on med/high heat. Sautée onions and celery seasoned with a little salt until tender (about 8-10 minutes), then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Chopped cauliflower on a white cutting board. They are about the diameter of a quarter to a nickel. — While your onions and celery are cooking, cut up your cauliflower.

Hot bubbling cream with celery and onions in a white dutch oven. — Pour the cream into the pan, add the cauliflower and the stock. Cook on med/high to high for about 5 minutes.