7 soups to make right now
Including a creamy-dreamy cauliflower white bean soup, because 'tis the season!
Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.
I’m back with another not-boring blended soup recipe, this time featuring cauliflower and white beans. I know, I know — right off the bat, it does sound… boring. But trust me, this is probably the most flavorful, creamy, filling cauliflower soup you can make. And it’s ready in about 15 minutes.
Tell me more
This is a soup that’s so simple and so quick, there’s *almost* no cooking involved. It’s boil, blend, reheat, and serve. Sounds too simple to make something that’s so delicious, but the flavor comes from the extras: chive and onion cream cheese, butter, parmesan. These all get blended with the beans and cauliflower plus some broth to create a lush, silky-smooth soup that’s restaurant-worthy and surprisingly hearty (that’s thanks to all the beans).
We’re also making some quick toasted garlic and parmesan breadcrumbs to go on top for a little crunch and textural diversity, but if you’re feeling extra lazy you really don’t have to make them at all. You can throw some store-bought breadcrumbs or croutons on top or just serve it with some bread and call it a day. The ultimate weeknight dinner.
And because soup season is upon us and there are so many new subscribers here (hello! Welcome!! Thank you for being here, I’m so happy that you are), I’m also including a roundup of six other soup recipes you’ll hopefully love.
Before we start
This soup recipe serves two. I want to say right off the bat that the servings do not look huge. But, there’s a whole can of beans in there, plus the cauliflower and extras which all together add in lots of protein, fiber, and fat, making it super filling. However, only you know how much food you need. If you are making this for two and don’t think a bowl of soup is gonna do it for you, double it! If you end up full after just one serving, you’ll have leftovers — lucky you.
You can use a blender or immersion blender for this. Usually I’m apprehensive to blend a hot soup in a blender because it can explode (that’s because of all the hot liquid). Here, we’ll be adding cold/room temp broth to the rest of the ingredients before blending, so I’m ok with chucking it all in my Vitamix and turning it on. Plus, I think the blending helps aerate it a bit and give it that luscious texture.
I like the consistency of this soup to be somewhere between a purée and a soup — a little thicker than some might enjoy. Feel free to up the broth in the recipe until you get your perfect consistency.
We’ll be using a bag of cauli florets for ultimate ease, but you can also use the equivalent amount of cauliflower that you chop up yourself.
Flavored cream cheese — chive and onion in this case — is a great hack because it adds flavor and creaminess. If you only have plain cream cheese, a tablespoon or two of fresh chives (or 1/2 tablespoon of dried) should do the trick. You can also use Boursin or a similar flavored, creamy cheese.
The recipe
Serves: 2
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 10-oz bag cauliflower florets
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp salted butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, microplaned or finely chopped
1/3 cup chive and onion cream cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided into two
3/4 cups chicken or veggie stock, broth, or bone broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cannellini beans and boil until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes.
While that’s boiling, make the breadcrumbs. Heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When melted, add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until breadcrumbs are golden brown and toasty, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add in garlic, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of salt. Stir until combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
Now time to finish your soup. Drain your cauliflower and beans then add to a blender (or back into your pot if you are using an immersion blender) along with 2 tbsp butter, cream cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, stock, a generous sprinkle of salt, and a few cranks of fresh ground pepper. Blend, starting on low and working your way up to a higher setting. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can also add more stock if you’d like to thin it out a bit.
Add soup back to your pot if you used a blender and heat over medium until heated through. Divide between two bowls and sprinkle each with some of the breadcrumbs. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Notes
Leftovers: Store soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, heat in a pan over medium heat. Breadcrumbs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Sprinkle them on everything — soups, salads, pasta, anything that needs a little extra crunch and/or flavor.
And now, more soup!
Six soups you might not know about if you’re new here. All kind of different, all very delish.
Italian Sausage and Cannellini Bean Chili
If bolognese and chili had a baby, this would be it. It’s like an Italian-ish chili, chock full of sausage and beans and red wine and all things yummy. Serve with garlic bread and top with ricotta and parmesan, or serve with cornbread and top with avocado and cheddar. Either way, you win. (P.S.: this is a recipe from a paid newsletter I sent out earlier this year, but I’m unlocking it for the next week for those that are interested.)
Called nivig in Armenian, this is a soup my family only really makes for Easter and Armenian Christmas. It’s earthy, lemony, totally vegan, and definitely worth making when you want a warming, easy veggie soup — holiday or not.
Speaking of veggie soups! This one is chock full of ‘em, plus noodles and herbs. It’s light, bright, and filling. If you plan to make a big batch and eat the leftovers, cook your pasta separately and add it in while serving so it doesn’t absorb all the broth while it sits in the fridge.
I call this Marcella’s tomato soup because it is Marcella Hazan’s famous butter and onion pasta sauce, just blended up with some broth to make it soupy. I can’t take real credit for the recipe and I have a hard time believing I’m the first person to ever think of doing this, but I can tell you that it’s five ingredients (including salt) and so deeply savory and delicious. Made with canned tomatoes, so perfect year-round!
Pesto Parmesan Zucchini Soup with Sausage “Croutons”
Another puréed soup with a wow factor. This one starts by browning Italian sausage, and then everything gets cooked in that delicious rendered fat, which then flavors the entire soup.
In general, I’m a big fan of soups that combine some kind of dumpling/ravioli/dough-wrapped filling with whatever veggies you have on hand and broth. I don’t even think these really require a recipe, though I did jot down how I made this specific soup. The recipe is for one and super easy — perfect for a quick lunch on a blustery day.
Let’s chat food
Leave a comment below or email me at hellosaturdaytable@gmail.com. And thank you for being here.
looks amazing!