Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

After so many holiday sweets it was definitely time for something a little bit lighter. Cauliflower, in my mind, is one of those vegetables that is kind of disappointing. It doesn't have a particularly strong flavor and pales in comparison to it's cousin broccoli. That being said, soup is the perfect vehicle to cauliflower. The flavor becomes infinitely more complex after roasting and the addition of a few herbs and other flavors makes this an instant classic.

Ingredients

3 pounds cauliflower florets (about 2 large heads)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

4 cups chicken stock

1 3/4 cups almond milk

Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Cut the cauliflower heads into medium florets. Place in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt and minced thyme. Spread out in one layer on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. After twenty minutes, remove the cauliflower from the oven and flip the florets over. Place back in the oven for another twenty minutes. Meanwhile place two cups of the chicken stock and all of the almond milk in a large pot and bring to a low simmer. Regular milk, of course, can be substituted for the almond milk but I really enjoy the nutty flavor that almond milk adds to this soup.

Once the cauliflower is finished roasting, add it to the large pot on the stove. Using an immersion blender puree the mixture until your desired consistency. I prefer a thick puree but some may like to leave a few cauliflower florets intact. Add the remaining two cups on chicken stock and season to taste with pepper and any additional salt if necessary. Garnish with extra thyme and enjoy!