An extraordinarily Smooth & Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crostini - perfect for a light lunch, a casual dinner party, or to convince the kiddos that cauliflower is delicious.

It's only natural that the GIR Team is comprised of foodies and avid home cooks, and this extraordinarily creamy cauliflower soup is by Quyen, whose new favorite GIR tool is the Ultimate Basting Brush. She developed this recipe to convince her young girls that cauliflower is delicious (spoiler alert, mom wins)! The soup is super simple to prepare, and kids can help assemble the crostini!




RECIPE STATS

Prep Time = 20 minutes
Cook Time = 35 minutes
Yield = 4-6 servings

 

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower Soup
1 head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth, or homemade
¼ cup finely grated parmesan
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan Crostini
Baguette, sliced at an angle, about ¼” thick
Olive oil
Parmesan, julienned or finely grated

Toppings
Chives, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Bacon, cooked and chopped (optional, but highly recommended!)

 

TOOLS

GIR Ultimate Spatula
GIR Ultimate Basting Brush
GIR Y-Handle Julienne Peeler
GIR Kitchen Mat
GIR Skinny Ladle
Baking Sheet

 

DIRECTIONS

For the soup: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for the crostini while you prepare the soup.
  2. Heat a large saucepan or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter together, and let it melt. Then add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally with the Ultimate Spatula for about 5 minutes, or until the mix softens and becomes translucent.
  3. Add the chicken broth and cauliflower and increase heat to high to bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer gently. Partially cover and cook until the cauliflower can be easily pierced with a fork, about 13-15 minutes.
  4. Turn off the heat, and puree the soup in batches. Return the soup to the saucepan, stir in the parmesan, and add salt to taste. Add a little bit of freshly ground black pepper, and serve immediately or keep warm while the crostini is prepared.

For the crostini: 

  1. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Using the Ultimate Basting Brush, lightly brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil, and bake for 10 minutes—a fun job for your little ones! 
  2. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated or julienned parmesan.
  3. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden. 

Serving:

  1. Bring the pot to the table and place it on a Kitchen Mat to protect the tabletop from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and top with bacon, chives, and additional fresh ground black pepper. Serve and enjoy with crostini!

        Notes

        Soup can be prepared the day before and stored in the fridge.
        For faster preparation, prep the crostini while the cauliflower is being simmered (step 3).
        For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and feel free to substitute chicken broth with your favorite vegetable broth.

        Recipe contributed by Quyen Weng. Interested in more GIR Team recipes? Check out our recipe for Zucchini Lasagna here!

         
        Did you make this recipe?
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