Easy Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I found a rather sad looking cauliflower lurking in the refrigerator after the holidays that needed using up today and so I decided to make myself a pot of soup with it. It was a very chilly day today so the timing was perfect.
I looked around a bit to see what recipes were out there. This one on Gimme Some Oven looked rather promising, but then I remembered that I already had a pretty darned delicious Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe in my Oak Cottage files!

Cauliflower Cheese is actually one of my favorite things to make and eat in the Winter months. I could eat a whole plate of that and nothing else. Tender delicious florets of Cauliflower baked in a lush cheese sauce. That is good eating.
It also makes a really delicious main course for any vegetarians in your household. This soup would too. It is rich and delicious, creamy, with just the right amount of cheese in it. Not over the top like some.

Its also a great way to use up some of the cheese leftover from the holidays as well. I always get in more than I need. I have used cheddar here today, but stilton is also a very good choice, or a Wensleydale.
When I lived in Chester, there was a cheese stall at the indoor market. They used to sell bags of cheese crumbs for 99 pence. I used to buy them all the time. They were great to use in recipes such as this one or for macaroni cheese.
They were just composed of a mixed bag of cheese crumbs leftover from them cutting cheese for customers. A right mixed bag, but always delicious.

I always used to pick up two or three and use them in recipes such as this one. They were always delicious. I really miss the Chester City Market.
They had all kinds of stalls for everything from makeup to soup, to nuts. There was a fish monger, several butchers, green grocers, baked goods, the cheese stall, etc. I used to buy all my greeting cards there as they had a lovely selection.

There was even a little cafe where you could go for a plate of chips or a bowl of hot soup, or an all day breakfast. It was always super busy.
During Covid they delivered goods to the house. One of the butchers arranged it along with the green grocers and the cheese stall. You could get everything delivered, no contact right to the door. It was so appreciated by all of their customers, and kept them in business as well.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP
Very simple ingredients. There really isn't anything out of the ordinary here. I love recipes like this that take ordinary ingredients and turn them into something out of this world delicious, and without a lot of effort!

2 TBS butter
1 large brown onion, peeled and chopped
1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cups (720ml) vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups (420ml) milk
fine sea salt and white pepper to taste
2/3 cup (75g) mature cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup (25g) mature cheddar cheese crumbled

My cauliflower was about six inches across. Just trim off any leaves and remove a portion of the core and then break it into florets, cutting some of the larger ones into halves or thirds.
I used a russet baking potato. It was about 4 inches long. My onion was the size of my fist.
I also used whole milk as that is the only kind of milk I keep in my house. If you don't have any vegetable stock you can use chicken stock, but then it won't be vegetarian.

The cheese I used was Cathedral Mature Cheddar cheese. I love Cathedral. It is a British cheese and has a lovely flavor. One thing about using a mature or well flavored cheese is that you don't need to use as much of it to make a flavor impact!
Stilton is also very nice done in a soup like this.

HOW TO MAKE EASY CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP
This really is a very simple soup to make. You will need a food processor, electric blender or a stick blender to puree it if you want a really smooth finish. Having said that however, you can also just mash everything really well with a potato masher. The texture will be a but lumpier, but it will still be delicious, more like a chowder.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, without browning, for about 5 minutes, stirring often.Add the cauliflower, potato, stock, milk and seasoning to taste. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes, just until the cauliflower is soft and the potato is very soft.Whiz in a food processor, or crush with a potato masher, or, if you are lucky like me, blitz with a stick blender until you get a creamy and thick soup. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk to bring it up to the right consistency.
Warm it through again until quite hot and then stir in the grated cheese, stirring it until it melts.Serve hot in mugs or bowls, with the cheddar cheese pieces sprinkled on top as a garnish. These can then be stirred through before eating. Delicious!

Notes

If you wish to freeze the soup, do so before you add any cheese. Just remove the amount you wish to freeze, packing it into an air tight container and adding an adjusted amount of cheese to the soup you are eating on the day. When you are ready to eat the frozen soup, thaw, heat and add the cheese as per the recipe.

This is an exceptionally delicious cauliflower soup. It is thick and rich and creamy and always goes down a real treat with whoever I serve it to.
It makes a great midweek supper when served with crusty bread on the side! It may not be Vegan because of the milk and the cheese, but it is always welcomed warmly by any vegetarians I have served it to!

Some other Cauliflower recipes in my English Kitchen that you might also enjoy are:
TWICE BAKED CAULIFLOWER CHEESE POTATOES - I love twice baked potatoes and I love cauliflower cheese. Combining the two just seemed to be a brilliant idea and it was! These are quite simply delicious!
TANDOORI CAULIFLOWER - If you are a fan of Indian flavors then prepare to fall in love with this beautifully spiced cauliflower dish!! This is not a creamy curry, but a dry curry. East Indians/Asians eat a lot of vegetarian dishes. This recipe works beautifully as a side dish for an Indian dinner which has several dishes involved, for 4 or more people, or as a tasty Vegetarian main for two or three.

Yield: 6Author: Marie Rayner

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 MinThis delicious soup makes six servings, but also freezes very well. If you like Cauliflower Cheese you are sure to love this!

Ingredients

2 TBS butter
1 large brown onion, peeled and chopped
1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cups (720ml) vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups (420ml) milk
fine sea salt and white pepper to taste
2/3 cup (75g) mature cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup (25g) mature cheddar cheese crumbled

Instructions

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, without browning, for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cauliflower, potato, stock, milk and seasoning to taste. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes, just until the cauliflower is soft and the potato is very soft.
Whiz in a food processor, or crush with a potato masher, or, if you are lucky like me, blitz with a stick blender until you get a creamy and thick soup. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk to bring it up to the right consistency.
Warm it through again until quite hot and then stir in the grated cheese, stirring it until it melts.
Serve hot in mugs or bowls, with the cheddar cheese pieces sprinkled on top as a garnish. These can then be stirred through before eating. Delicious!

Notes

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