This creamy cauliflower chowder is as comforting as it is easy to make. It's a perfect recipe to use a head of cauliflower!
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword Bacon, Cauliflower, Chowder, Vegetables
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
3slicesbacon
1tbspbacon fatfrom cooking bacon
1cuponionsdiced small, ~ ½ medium-to-large onion
1cup carrotsdiced small, ~ 1 large carrot
¼cup shallotsdiced fine, ~ ½ medium shallot
4-5cups cauliflowerchopped into small bite-sized pieces, ~ ½ large head of cauliflower
1potatopeeled and diced small
4cupsvegetable brothchicken broth would work, too
4tbspbutter
4tbspflour
1cuphalf & half
salt & pepperfor seasoning along the way
2green onionssliced for garnish
Instructions
Heat a medium-to-large Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon slices to the pot. Cut the bacon slices in half if they are too long to fit into the bottom of the pan. Cook until the bacon is cooked and crispy, flipping during cooking. This should take about 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cooked, move it to a paper towel lined plate.
Drain all but about 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the pan and add the onions, carrots, and shallots. Add a pinch of salt to the vegetables. Cook over medium heat until they are soft and the onions and shallots are translucent. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, potato, and vegetable broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower and potatoes are very tender.
While your soup is simmering, make your roux. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let the butter melt. Once the butter has melted, add the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
When the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked through and very tender, whisk the half & half into the roux. Mix well so that the roux is fully incorporated into the half & half and it's a smooth mixture. Then whisk the half & half roux mixture into the soup. Bring the soup back up to a low boil and then simmer until the soup is thickened. This should take just a few minutes. If you want, use a potato masher to mash some of the vegetables just a little bit to thicken the soup a bit more; but I like to have plenty of chunks, so don't go too crazy.
Taste the soup. Add more salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls. Crumble bacon on top of soup and garnish with green onions.