This was probably one of the more difficult recipes for me to develop, but not because I couldn’t figure out the flavors and consistency, but because I couldn’t get myself to STOP eating the hot roasted cauliflower coming out of the oven every time I tried to make this soup! Cauliflower is one of those vegetables I use frequently in my cooking, such as here, because it provides a nice texture, but it was never a veggie I truly enjoyed. However, with this dish, I discovered a whole new element of cauliflower, oven-roasted, which is absolutely amazing.
As I mentioned, when I first developed this recipe I couldn’t stop eating the roasted cauliflower hot straight out of the oven. Before I realized it, I had finished over half, straight from the baking sheet! I eventually finished this delicious recipe for Roasted Cauliflower & Mushroom Soup! Although I ended up going in a completely different direction when developing this recipe in terms of ingredients and cooking method, the initial inspiration for combining both mushroom & cauliflower into a creamy soup came from Kalyn’s Kitchen‘s Mushroom & Cauliflower Pressure Cooker Soup.
Overall, this soup is very easy to make and full of flavor. My favorite part about this soup is the ‘chunky’ texture. Instead of completely pureeing this soup, I pulsed it a few times to keep some of the veggies intact so that it’s not only nice and thick, but you can also taste the roasted cauliflower and mushroom pieces in the soup. I served this soup for dinner with a side of toasted french bread, and even my kids loved it. I was fortunate to have some leftovers for lunch the next day. In fact, after the soup had some time to sit, even more of the flavors were brought out. The flavor of the mushrooms also really comes through in this soup, so if you’re a mushroom lover, this recipe is definitely for you!
You can probably guess what I will be experimenting more with in this next month… yep, something involving oven-roasted cauliflower!
I’m also excited for the next few weeks because I have some exciting giveaways planned for all of you!
UPDATE: I recently modified this recipe to Veganize it, and it turned out delicious! I’ve added the modifications below for a vegan-option.
Five years ago: Chocolate Cupcakes w/Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling, Glaze, & Frosting
Three years ago: Portabello Mushrooms over Quinoa & Peppers
Two years ago: Cacio e Pepe
One year ago: Pav Bhaji
Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small head cauliflower , cut into florets
- 1 lb. mushrooms , white button, cremini, and/or shitake, thinly sliced
- 1 teasp fresh thyme , chopped
- 2 springs green onions , green parts, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3.5 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk , such as SILK unsweetened cashew milk (see notes below)
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese , optional (see notes below)
- 3 tbsp olive oil , divided
- salt
- pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread the florets in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the florets are golden brown. In the meantime, continue on to the following steps.
- In a large non-stick pot, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Immediately add the mushrooms and thyme and saute on medium heat until the water released from the mushrooms is mostly evaporated and the mushrooms themselves are tender.
- Add the green onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes, mixing frequently.
- Add the white wine and cook until the liquid reduces to about half the volume, mixing frequently.
- Add the roasted cauliflower and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, covered.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Using a stick immersion hand blender , puree soup in brief pulses until you reach the desired thickness and chunkiness. Note that some of the mushrooms and cauliflower in the soup should be in pieces so that the soup is "chunky" in nature and not completely smooth.
- If using, add the non-diary milk and vegan parmasan cheese and simmer on medium heat for about an additional 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve the soup hot with a side of your favorite bread.
Deepshikha
Hi Anjali,
This has been on my wishlist for a while now and finally tried it tonight. So delicious. It has a very unique taste that is like no other soup I have had. Very flavorful and filling! I am off diary so I did not add the milk and cheese, but did add a dash of coconut milk to add to the creaminess. Yum!
Thanks,
Dee
anjali
Thank you so much and so glad you loved this soup! It’s also one of my favorites. When I went vegan a few months ago, I was worried this soup wouldn’t taste as great without the dairy and that I would have to work out some substitute, but to my surprise, it was just as delicious by simply omitting the milk and cheese! I love the flavor of the roasted cauliflower and mushrooms even more when I made this vegan…although I will have to try adding a splash of coconut milk next time. Thank you so much! And hoping to veganize some of my older recipes as I re-make them. Thank you for the comment and for following!
DEANNA
Wonderful and as another reviewer stated, unique taste. For me, this will be a new a comfort food! I love roasted cauliflower so this is a happy addition. I used crimini mushrooms which were very flavorful. To my taste, almond milk was a distraction. I tried it with and without almond milk and preferred it with either real milk (am not a vegan) or no milk/cream at all. Also had no cheese in the house; tasted very good though I think cheese would enhance it. A great Receipe! Thank you.
anjali
Thank you so much for trying it out and the comments! I actually first developed this recipe before going vegan, hence the regular milk and cheese. After going vegan I had it both with and without almond milk and omitting the cheese and I agree with you, without the milk completely is the better option and that’s usually how I have it! You reminded me that I need to revisit this recipe…i think if i was to make it now, if I wanted that creamy flavor, I’d add a little cashew cream =) Thanks again for trying it out!!
Rei
Thanks for this recipe. Genius to roast the cauli first. Takes the cauliflowery edge off it. I added a half tsp of turmeric and some curry leaf powder into the mushies and sprinkled in some porcini powder to pack the flavour in. And am not a vegan so cream and cheddar cheese to finish off. No bread required!
anjali
Great! Glad you loved it!
Christine Marie Kolano
I like that it is good and fairly easy to make. You can also roast the mushrooms and you would do it the same way as the cauliflower. Same seasoning, same length of time. It turns out great and maybe simplify a little
In general, a Great Recipe
Thank you for it.
Anjali Lalani
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy cauliflower. So simple and quick. I can imagine mushrooms would taste great as well.
Shellie
I googled what was in the fridge/cupboard and this recipe came up. Delicious, thank you!
I had to finish with some Sherry vinegar because no wine in the house. Also wanted to give a shout for nutritional yeast in place of the vegan parmesan, which I didn’t have on hand either. I’m sure it didn’t achieve quite the same flavour as yours and yet it was so tasty.
For extra protein I threw in a can of cannellini beans, which don’t have an overpowering taste, and I really liked these with the soft-pulse pureeing that you recommended. The texture made it really stand on its own as a meal.
Anjali Lalani
Adding cannellini beans is such a great idea! I’m sure it went perfectly in this soup. Thanks so much for the great review!
Eloise
Really want to try this after stumbling on it in a Google search! Just wondering if using frozen cauliflower florets, how many cups would you add? Also, is this reasonably filling? I’m trying to lose weight so am looking for yummy low-cal vegetarian dinners that don’t leave me reaching for snacks afterwards! 🙂
Anjali Lalani
It’s definitely filling, but maybe I’d add some protein or some side to the dish. And you can use the same amount of frozen cauliflower
Brian Israel
Love this soup! For the non-vegetarian in our house I used organic beef bone broth instead of vegan plus the leaves from 4 twigs of rosemary and some dill. Amazing!!!
Anjali Lalani
Thanks for the great review, glad you enjoyed it!