Recipe: Cauliflower Soup With 2 Secret Ingredients
We’ve talked previously about the benefits of cruciferous vegetables.
“…bioactive components of cruciferous vegetables, which were the most discussed in the literature regarding colorectal cancer, were examined. In this context, it can be concluded that many metabolic and genomic pathways and potential mechanisms regarding these vegetables and their bioactives can both prevent colorectal cancer, as well as reduce its incidence rates…” [source]
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable…let’s make creamy cauliflower soup!
This recipe is by Cookin’ Canuck. Use this link to get the full recipe.
Creamy cauliflower soup, served in a bowl with raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and raw radish slices
What makes this recipe special?
It uses chickpeas instead of high fat ‘cream’ ingredients like coconut milk
Chickpeas add additional fiber & protein
It uses nutritional yeast, which is high in B vitamins and provides a ‘cheesy’ flavor
Did you know that only 7% of Americans meet the recommended daily allowance for fiber?
Creamy cauliflower soup before I wilted the broccolini in my Instant Pot
What’s in it?
Cauliflower, canned chickpeas, onion, celery, garlic, ginger, curry powder, thyme, coriander, cayenne pepper, pumpkin seeds (optional, but delicious & rich in iron)
For serving
🌱 Your favorite healthy crackers ▶️ I like Mary’s Gone Crackers, sold at Whole Foods and many other grocery stores
🌱 A slice of fresh sourdough bread, check the ingredients to make sure you are getting a high-quality fermented bread containing just flour, water, salt
🌱 I topped my soup with radishes. By now, you know I love radishes. They are also cruciferous!
Why is it delicious?
It’s creamy, it’s warm, and you can feel the soup delivering all of the nutrients to your cells!
Shopping list
1 head of fresh cauliflower (~6 cups)
Canned chickpeas, no salt added
1 bulb fresh garlic
1 yellow onion
1 stalk celery
Fresh ginger root (or ginger powder if you can’t get it fresh)
Curry powder
Dried thyme
Ground coriander
Cayenne pepper
Vegetable broth, low sodium >> 4 cups
Nutritional yeast
Raw pumpkin seeds
Creamy cauliflower soup with broccolini after it was cooked in my Instant Pot
Equipment
Instant Pot. If you’re making soup on the stove, make your life easier and get an Instant Pot. 😎
Immersion blender. I have this one by Braun. This Cuisinart option also looks good.
Cooking Notes
I saute in water, not oil.
Don’t worry about the exact measurement of the cauliflower. I just used the entire head. I didn’t weigh or measure it.
I don’t use my immersion blender often, but it’s small, it fits in my pantry and when needed, it really comes in handy. It’s easy to use and clean.
Don’t want to get an immersion blender? Pour the soup into a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, and blend until it’s creamy. Let the soup cool a bit first before pouring it into the blender. OR make the recipe as a chunky soup by just skipping the last step of blending. Different texture, all of the nutrition.
Whole Foods had broccolini, or baby broccoli. It looked great, so I added it to my soup. I did this after the soup was finished cooking. Simply take off the top of the Instant Pot after the steam is released, add the pieces of baby broccoli, put the top back on and let it sit for ~15 minutes on the “Keep Warm” setting until the baby broccoli is wilted. I also do this with other green vegetables such as spinach, swiss chard, and kale. If I can get even more vegetables into a soup, I will.
Creamy cauliflower soup
Nutrition facts
1 serving
Total servings in recipe: 5
Nutrition information does not include the use of oil, or the broccolini I added
Note on servings
Why do I love eating this way?
✅ Eat this soup to your heart’s content, until you’re full. One serving for you may be half of the recipe. Because I’ve omitted the oil, there’s nothing processed or calorically-dense here. 🤸
✅ Eat 2 servings and you are 75% of the way to the recommended fiber intake of 25-30 grams per day.
Calories — 206 kcal
Fiber — 9.7 g
Net carbs - 19.9 g
Sugars — 7.3 g (added sugars 0.4 g)
Fat — 4.7 g
Protein — 12.2 g
This recipe contains all 9 essential amino acids. And too many vitamins and minerals to list! Including 33% of the DV for iron, 87% vitamin C, 60% vitamin B12, 54% folate and 29% potassium.
Where’s all that iron coming from? Pumpkin seeds! 🌱
Happy eating!
Will you try this recipe? Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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