Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or I used 2 tbsp. minced garlic)
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3 cups broth (I used chicken because that is what I had on hand)
• 1 1/2 cups aged white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup milk or cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional:  Bacon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees

Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with salt and pepper then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast the cauliflower in the oven until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Sauté onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and sauté about a minute.

Add the broth and cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a blender. (I used my big blender but an immersion blender would work as well.)

Mix in the cheese, let it melt and season with salt and pepper.

Mix in the milk and remove from heat.

Top with bacon if you’d like.

I picked this Specially Selected cheese up at Aldi:

Cauliflower mixed with olive oil ready to be baked in oven:

Baked cauliflower and the rest of the ingredients simmering: