Roasted Cauliflower Chowder
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This Roasted Cauliflower Chowder recipe features a luxuriously creamy texture and is positively PACKED with flavor! Chock full of vegetables, it’s a nutritious and delicious soup that will have your guests asking for seconds! Vegetarian and gluten-free and can be made vegan substituting olive oil and cashew milk.
This cozy chowder is packed with layers and layers delicious flavors. And the star of the show: Roasted cauliflower. This chowder is so good it will even make the cauliflower-haters rethink their position. Growing up I was always very lukewarm towards cauliflower and my preference has been raw over cooked (eg, with dip). But since discovering the transformative power that roasting has on cauliflower I’m sold hook, line and sinker.
This soup is simple and straightforward and you can do the prep work and get the soup going while the cauliflower is roasting. For texture, you can adjust however chunky or smooth you prefer the chowder by how much you puree it.
What to Serve With Roasted Cauliflower Chowder
This cauliflower chowder can be served as a starter or as the main course. As the main course you can serve it with:
- A leafy green salad
- Crusty bread
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Spelt Buttermilk Biscuits
Roasted Cauliflower Chowder Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the florets on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and a very light sprinkling of salt.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and roast for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned. Give the florets a toss with a spatula after about 15 minutes.
Heat the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and remaining vegetables and cook for another 5-7 minutes until softened. This will also bring out their sweetness.
Add the roasted cauliflower. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup however smooth or chunky you prefer it. (I like to puree just part of it and leave the rest chunky.) Alternatively transfer a portion of the soup to a regular blender, puree it, and add it back to the pot.
Stir in the parsley and cream and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Note: If you prefer a thicker consistency you can dissolve some cornstarch in a little water (e.g., 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 3 tablespoons water) and pour it into the soup at the end. Let the soup simmer for a minute or two until slightly thickened.
Serve hot with a salad and/or some crusty bread, our best every Buttermilk Biscuits or our whole grain Spelt Buttermilk Biscuits.
Enjoy!
For more cauliflower recipe favorites be sure to try my:
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Roasted Cauliflower Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower , washed and cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter , vegan/paleo: use olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 medium carrots , chopped
- 2 celery ribs , chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper , seeds removed and diced
- 3 cups chicken broth , vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream , vegan/paleo: use cashew milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Place the cauliflower florets onto a lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned, turning with a spatula after 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onion until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for another 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the roasted cauliflower, stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to consistency you prefer (I like to puree just part of it and leave the rest chunky). Alternatively transfer a portion of the soup to a regular blender, puree it, and add it back to the pot. Add the cream and parsley and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.Note: If you prefer a thicker consistency you can dissolve some cornstarch in a little water (e.g., 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 3 tablespoons water) and pour it into the soup at the end. Let the soup simmer for a minute or two until slightly thickened.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 12, 2016
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I made this tonight and it was great. I only use variations if I’m out of an ingredient. This time my red bell pepper was over the hill so I used 2 carrots. I had to use vegetable broth because I was out of chicken. Other than that I did everything exactly as the recipe stated. It was fantastic. I’m thinking of adding clams to it tomorrow:) yum
That’s terrific, Lisa, thanks so much!
The Paleo Style is HAPPENING! And I am throwing in hunks of chicken! YUM!!
Sounds awesome, GiGi, happy cooking and eating!
I want to eat that whole thing right now, these look so good!
Thanks so much, Archana!
The chowder looks so yummy – with all the colorful garnish! It is on my menu for next week as a one pot meal (as virtually all my meals). I like that it doesn’t require too many ingredients. And thanks for the healthy alternative to heavy cream!
Thanks, Edward, and happy cooking! :)
I so need to try this! I’m always trying to find new ways to make veggies more edible for me. This looks like it could be a winner for me!
Roasting the cauliflower makes it waaaay more enjoyable, Erin!
This looks totally delicious! Love cauliflower and have to try this recipe soon :)
Thanks so much, Dawn! :)
I LOVE cauliflower but my husband is not a fan. However, when I roast it up he seems to really enjoy it :) This chowder is the perfect recipe to win him over!
It’s so true, roasting really transforms the cauliflower!
This is seriously stunning. I could eat ten bowls of this. I need to try this stat.
Thanks, Kim! :)
It’s pretty unbelievable what happens to the flavor of cauliflower when you roast it. My guys would gobble it up even when they were very young and to this day love cauliflower as a result. This soup looks and sounds AMAZING!
It really is an incredible transformation, Valerie! There’s now way I can go back to boiled or steamed again!
I couldn’t agree more. Roasting cauliflower is life changing! I’m not a fan of cooked or even raw cauliflower… but stuff them in the oven for a while and I can’t resist!! This chowder is simply gorgeous!!
So totally true, Rose, roasting is THE way to eat cauliflower!
Mmm I bet Roasted cauliflower chowder is so comforting! I could even get picky eaters to eat cauliflower like this!
We love it, Angie! Our three year old will eat it – still working on the 5 year old ;)
What an incredible looking soup! I don’t cook with cauliflower nearly enough. This looks perfect!
Thanks, Angie! Roasted is one way I’m guaranteed to enjoy cauliflower!
Roasted cauliflower is my latest obsession! This chowder is happening soon!
Oh my, Wow! This chowder looks amazing! I’m always on the search for new soup/chowder recipes and this one looks like a winner!
Thanks, Katerina, it’s a winner indeed!
It’s the roasting of the cauliflower before you turned it into soup that gets my heart beating faster. I just love that extra depth of flavor you’ve achieved.