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a plain bowl of smooth ivory cauliflower cheese soup with a few small golden-browned roasted cauliflower florets resting in the soup, with no broccoli, beans, orange cheddar shreds, mustard drizzle or garnish
Rachel Kim

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Roast the cauliflower before blending it so the cheese soup has a toasted vegetable flavor underneath the Gruyère. Reserve some browned florets for the bowls rather than blending every piece. The mustard belongs in the broth, where it sharpens the rich base without appearing as a separate topping. Grate the cheese finely and add it off the heat in small handfuls, giving each handful time to melt before the next goes in. If the soup thickens while it waits, loosen it with a little of the measured milk before serving rather than returning the cheese to a hard boil.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large cauliflower about 2 lbs trimmed, cut into 1-inch florets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk divided
  • 6 oz Gruyère finely grated

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper on a large sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until tender with browned edges, turning once.
  2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat and cook onion for 7 minutes. Add broth, mustard and remaining salt and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups small roasted florets. Add remaining cauliflower to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.
  4. Add 1 cup milk and heat gently for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, wait until bubbling stops and stir in Gruyère in small handfuls until melted.
  5. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk to loosen the soup, then divide among 6 bowls and add reserved roasted florets to each serving.