Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree

How about one more hot, comforting cheesy soup before spring!  Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree is the one to make for a chilly night!

I’ve been wanting to share this creamy cauliflower soup with you all winter long.  I made it in the fall, we ate half, then the holidays hit and the rest went into the freezer.  I’ve been thinking about this soup ever since and I made it just under the wire!  Happy Spring!!  We’ll eventually get to what’s in the freezer, but I sure wasn’t going to wait until next fall to share this wonderful soup with you.

First of all, I LOVE a soup that takes no chopping skills whatsoever.  Simply chop the fresh ingredients, cook, simmer until everything is tender and puree.  The result is smooth, silky and refined!

Lovely, lovely!

And gouda cheese, baby!  Do any of you remember the CLASSIC vegetarian cookbook by Anna Thomas entitled The Vegetarian Epicure?  She also did The Vegetarian Epicure, Part Two.  Both are classics in the annals of cookbook history!  Her Dutch Potato Cheese Soup made with gouda cheese has been a favorite of my husband’s and mine for as long as we’ve been married.  For the longest time, that soup was a New Year’s Day favorite of ours.  Whenever I add gouda cheese to soup, I think of Anna and that recipe.

To make your soup-making life super, super simple, get an immersion blender.  What’s easier than tossing everything into a pot, cooking it, and then pureeing it into silky goodness?  No transferring to a food processor or blender where you can ugh…  burn yourself!  Don’t be that person.  Get.  An.  Immersion.  Blender.

Then, you’ll want to get a mini food processor so that you can whip up this tasty little topping to swirl over the top.  Many of your kitchen chores can be done with these two amazing appliances!

Chives are one of the first herbs in the spring to poke their flavorful goodness out of the ground.  They make the perfect garnish for this creamy cauliflower soup!

Now, let’s eat!!

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Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree

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Prep Time 20 min

Cook Time 25 min

Total Time 45 mins

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• SOUP
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 large Russet potato, peeled and cubed
• 5-6 cups chicken broth
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 cups shredded Gouda cheese
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Salt, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• RED PEPPER PUREE
• 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. INSTRUCTIONS
2. SOUP
3. Heat canola oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 7-8 minutes.
4. Add the potato and cook briefly (30 seconds), just so it absorbs some of the aromatics. Add 5 cups chicken broth and the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover slightly and cook until everything is very tender.
5. Stir in the cheese and half-and-half and stir until the cheese melts. Carefully transfer to a food processor or blender to puree, or use an immersion blender to do that right on the stovetop. If the soup is too thick, add a bit more chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
6. RED PEPPER PUREE
7. Combine ingredients in a mini food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
8. Swirl into the soup and serve!

by Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

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