Cauliflower Parmesan Soup (No Cream)

It's winter here in Australia, and this Cauliflower Parmesan Soup will warm you up without adding too much to your waistline. It has NO CREAM - in fact it even uses low-fat milk!

Yes, no cream - and it tastes like my favourite cauliflower/cheese sauce combination from childhood just in soup form! That combo was one of my mum's go-to sides & I LOVED it. To be fair though - I would have loved MOST vegetables if they were covered in cheese sauce. Still true today!

It also doesn't take a lot of effort. All you need to do is sweat down the leeks in some butter first, then add everything else and let it simmer away until it's all tender. Next, you blend it - then top with parmesan and eat it - sprinkling more (and more...) parmesan as you go...a tasty, creamy winter soup without cream!

Enjoy!

Lee-Ann ♥

Cauliflower Parmesan Soup (No Cream)

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Cauliflower Parmesan Soup (No Cream) - Smooth and silky, without cream! 

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Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

• 1 kg cauliflower cut into small florets (see notes)
• 300 g potatoes peeled & diced (I used sebago)
• 25 g salted butter
• 1 medium sized leek (white part only) finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves crushed/minced
• 3 cups milk I used low fat
• 60 g fresh parmesan (plus extra for garnish if you wish) grated (or more! see notes)
• fresh thyme leaves to garnish
• olive oil to garnish
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large heavy based saucepan/dutch oven, melt the butter over low heat & fry the leeks for 2-3 mins, or until soft.
• Once leeks are soft, add garlic & stir for 30 secs, then stir through milk. Add cauliflower & potatoes then bring to a simmer.
• Simmer, partially covered for 15-18 mins, or until cauliflower & potatoes are tender. Remove from heat.
• Using an immersion/stick blender, blend soup until smooth (see notes) and check for seasoning.
• Divide soup between serving bowls, top with fresh thyme and drizzle with olive oil if using, and serve with fresh parmesan on the side for each guest to add as they wish (see notes).

Notes

Chopping the cauliflower - I don't use the very center stem, and everything else I just chop into florets - breaking down the large ones as you go. 

Once you put the milk in, you may find that it doesn't quite cover the cauliflower/potato. (At least I did!) As long as the cauliflower/potato is mostly covered, it should all still cook because we are going to partially cover the pot while it cooks. This stops the soup from cooking down too much, and also steams those small bits of cauliflower sticking out of the milk. I would also give it a bit of a stir once or twice during cooking just to get them all mixed around.

Make sure you take the pan off the heat before you blend the soup. This helps it not splatter everywhere - still you need to be a bit careful when you blend it. Once it is blended you could add a bit more milk if you want a slightly thinner consistency, just put it back on the stove to heat through.

My final note is about the parmesan. Well! It's up to you how much you use, but my recommendation is "a lot!" Even though it looks like a garnish in the photos, my suggestion is sprinkling it over your soup as you eat a few spoonfulls, then sprinkle some more - I think you get the idea - I don't really see it as a garnish. I mean for it be an essential part of the dish, but I don't want to add it during the cooking process for a few reasons. I like the consistency of the soup as it is, but I want the flavour of the parmesan, and this way diners can choose their own amount.