Cheesy Cauliflower and Leek Soup

I always feel the humble cauliflower gets a bit of a bad wrap. In our house, unless there is a creamy cheese topping, cauliflower is not on the top of anyone’s favourite vegetable list. I swear, all this will change when you get on board with a good cauliflower soup. Even better, this one has cheese. And leeks. And bacon bits on top! Yep, this cheesy cauliflower and leek soup is one you are going to make again and again.

Two bowls of cheesy cauliflower and leek soup on a table along with a bottle of truffle oil and crusty brwad.

What you need

  • Cauliflower
  • Leek
  • Potato
  • Vegetable stock
  • Bacon
  • Cheddar
  • Sour Cream
  • Truffle oil – completely optional, i love it this time of the year and just want to add it to everything!

How to prep your soup

Roughly chop or break up your cauliflower florets. If the florets are a little large, chop them in half.

To clean a leek, chop off the bulb at the base of the leek. At the top of the leek chop off just under where the large leaves start. You are now left with the useable part of the leek. From here slice the leek in half lengthways, lay them face down on your chopping boars, and roughly slice. Pop all of the leek into a colander and wash thoroughly. Your leeks are now ready to cook with.

Now you could easily simmer on top of the stove, however, I usually like to cook my soups in a cast-iron casserole, in the oven because I don’t have to worry about them bubbling over. I also find I get a better flavour in the oven as opposed to the stovetop. The wonders of cast iron cooking!

The details…

  1. Preheat oven to 140°c.
  2. In a cast iron french oven, melt the butter on low heat. Add sliced leek. Saute on low heat for 10 minutes, Add cauliflower, potato, vegetable stock, and water. Pop the lid on and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and pop the pot in the oven and cook for 1.5 hours
  3. While the soup is in the oven, fry off the diced bacon in a pan on top of the stove for a couple of minutes on a medium heat until cooked and a little crispy on the edges. Pop aside.
  4. Remove the soup from the oven and blend in a blender until smooth. Pop the blended soup back into the pot. On the stovetop, warm the soup. Add grated cheddar and stir continuously until the cheese has melted. Add sour cream and stir in. Season with salt and pepper
  5. Serve topped with bacon bits and a drizzle of truffle oil (optional)
cheesy cauliflower and leek soup  in a bowl

Garnishing your Cheesy Cauliflower and Leek Soup

The simple garnish in the recipe is to top with bacon bits and a drizzle of truffle oil. If you want to crank it up a little and add a little wow to your cheesy cauliflower and leek soup, try adding some homemade croutons, roasted cauliflower florets, some finely grated cheese as well as a little parsley into the mix.

Don’t forget to serve with a good chunk of bread!

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two bowls of cheesy cauliflower and leek soup

Cheesy Cauliflower & Leek Soup

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  • Author: Emma Lee
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 people 1x
  • Category: Lunch, Main Course, Soup
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Get on board with a good cauliflower soup. Even better, this one has cheese. And leeks. And bacon bits on top! Yep, this cheesy cauliflower and leek soup is one you are going to make again and again.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole cauliflower (broken into florets)
  • 1 leek (leaves removed, sliced and washed)
  • 50 g butter (chopped )
  • 500 ml vegetable stock
  • 500 ml water
  • 1 potato (peeled and chopped in half)
  • 100 g cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 1 tbsp sour cream
  • 3 rashers bacon (cut into a rough 1cm dice)
  • sea salt (flaked)
  • black pepper (freshly ground)
  • drizzle truffle oil ((optional))

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 140°c.
  2. In a cast iron french oven, melt the butter on low heat. Add sliced leek. Saute on low heat for 10 minutes, Add cauliflower, potato, vegetable stock, and water. Pop the lid on and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and pop the pot in the oven and cook for 1.5 hours
  3. While the soup is in the oven, fry off the diced bacon in a pan on top of the stove for a couple of minutes on a medium heat until cooked and a little crispy on the edges. Pop aside.
  4. Remove the soup from the oven and blend in a blender until smooth. Pop the blended soup back into the pot. On the stovetop, warm the soup. Add grated cheddar and stir continuously until the cheese has melted. Add sour cream and stir in. Season with salt and pepper
  5. Finish with bacon bits and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Notes

This cheesy cauliflower and bacon soup was made in a 24cm cast iron casserole and blended in my Vitamix. You could use an immersion blender, however i find my Vitamix blends a smoother soup and i don’t want to scratch my cast iron with an immersion blender.

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