This quick and warming cauliflower soup uses the texture of cauliflower and beans to make a creamy, velvety, and comforting soup. Roasting the cauliflower before blending into the soup adds robust flavor and bone-warming properties. The beauty of this deeply satisfying soup is that it’s so easy to make you almost don’t need a recipe.

WHITE VELVET SOUP
Adapted from My New Roots

2 heads cauliflower, cut into 1-inch flowerets
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced in chunks
1 head garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
sea salt
3 cups cooked cannellini or flageolet beans (about 2 cans)
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper, to serve
cayenne pepper or smoked paprika, for garnish (optional)
¼ cup fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large baking pan toss cauliflower, onions, garlic, and sea salt with oil to coat and roast in oven about 30-40 minutes, or until golden and nicely caramelized. Allow to cool. Remove about half of the cauliflower and set aside for serving and garnish. In a blender combine the vegetables with all other ingredients and salt and purée soup in batches until very smooth.

Transfer soup to a large pot and warm over moderate heat. If the soup is too thick, simply add water to thin to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt to taste.

To serve, top each bowl of soup with a few of the reserved roasted flowerets. For each bowl of soup, combine 1 teaspoon olive oil with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or paprika if you don’t like spicy heat) and drizzle as a garnish.The spiced oil is optional, but it really adds a special element to the soup. If you don’t like spicy cayenne or smoked paprika, try regular paprika. Finally, sprinkle with parsley leaves and a grind of black pepper.

If you’re up for a bit of culinary adventure and you like things spicy, you could try drizzling this soup with an Aromatic Chile Oil.