This cauliflower leek soup is easy to make, but you'd never guess it from the taste - roasting & blending the veggies makes it flavorful & satisfying.
Thank you all SO much for your ideas & suggestions of what to make with my giant cauliflower. You had so many creative ideas, and I just loved reading through them all.
Last night, we curled up on the sofa with this creamy roasted cauliflower & leek soup. (Note: I used cashews for the cream part – if you’re nut-free, check out this creamy vegan cauliflower soup recipe.) This process might look subtle, but roasting the cauliflower, leeks & garlic brings out some pretty big flavors… and in a surprisingly little amount of time. The short version of this recipe is this: Roast. Blend.
(But I promise, it tastes fancier than that).
Thanks to so many of you for commenting with the leek & cauliflower soup idea… I went with this cashew cream idea suggested by Alisa. With the “toss it all in the oven” method (and paprika addition) as suggested by Anouk.
Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup
- About 2 cups chopped cauliflower
- 2-3 leeks, white and very light green parts, chopped (about 1 to 1½ cups)
- 2 garlic cloves
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- ½ cup raw, unsalted, un-roasted cashews, soaked overnight* (see note)
- 1½ teaspoons miso paste (or just salt if you don't have any)
- Leaves from a few sprigs of marjoram or thyme
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons more olive oil (to blend into the soup)
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika (or more to taste)
- Squeeze of lemon
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Splash of white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar, at the end (especially if you made yours too spicy like I did)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the cauliflower, leeks, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt & pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove when everything is starting to turn golden, but before the leeks are burning (if a few get too charred, it's ok, just pick them out later).
- Add to your blender the veggies you just roasted, drained cashews, marjoram leaves, miso paste, a squeeze of lemon and 1½ cups water. Blend until pureed. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, and the remaining 1½ cups water. Blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Pour into a medium saucepan and heat just until the soup is warm. Stir in a little more water if it's too thick. Serve with bread on the side.
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It was okay. Reasonably sort of pleasant but pretty bland and almost bitter… cauliflower needs a real flavour expert working with it in terms of how to combine things in a soup or it runs the risk of tasting a little bitter. Would not make it again tbh. Sorry but wanted to be honest. 3 stars was being generous…
I would like to try this for a dinner party… can I do steps 1 and 2 mid day and leave the soup in the saucepan until dinner time? I’ve not cooked with cashews before so wonder how well they will ‘sit’. Thank you.
Hi Wendy, yep, you can make the soup ahead! I’d keep it in the fridge and reheat just before serving.
Not my favorite, but still good!
Hi Rachel, glad you enjoyed it!
This was so delicious! My hubby and boys said it tasted like baked potato soup and they gobbled it up! I made it a second time and couldn’t use cashews because my mom has a nut allergy and she was eating with us so I subbed in white beans. It worked! Creamy and so yummy. Thanks for a keeper!
Excellent! I used veggie broth instead of water.
Hi, it doesnt say what to soak the cashews on, milk, water and how much? Do you drain after soaking and how many hours?
Hi Keryn, Soak them in water for 6-12 hours. The exact amount of water doesn’t matter as long as the cashews are fully submerged. Drain before blending. Hope this helps!
It was delicious! We have loved it, only added chicken broth!
Hi Sarah, so glad you loved it!
Help! I love the taste of the soup but my texture did not come out smooth. I’ve been blending in my Ninja blender. Is this not powerful enough? I strained a little bit of the soup but lost most of the bulk of the soup. Any suggestions?
Hi Elissa, It’s probably just the blender! We love using a Vitamix for pureed soups like this.
Hi Jeanine!
I only have dried thyme on hand… any suggestion on amount to add?
Denise
Hi Denise, I’d do 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
Wonderful soup!
The paprika and miso added nice flavour too. I blended in some white beans for protein. Thanks!
This was delicious, the roasting brings out so much flavor, and makes it all so easy! I didn’t have cashews this time (but we’ll try next time), used homemade broth instead of water, and threw in a pablano pepper on the roasting pan and used my immersion blender. Rich flavor! I recommend it!
What’s the best way to thicken up the soup if it’s too watery? I didn’t have cashews, so I substituted coconut milk, but didn’t change anything else from the recipe. The taste is delicious, but a little loose for my taste.
I just made this soup and it was so delicious! I forgot to add the vinegar and chilli but was still delicious without. Fussy hubby enjoyed it too. Will definitely make again!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Can I substitute half and half for the cashews? I want to make tonight so no time to buy and soak the cashews.
Hi Sasha, I’d make this other (newer) cauliflower soup recipe! No cashews: https://www.loveandlemons.com/cauliflower-soup/
I cooked the cashews for 30 minutes or until they are very soft!
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