To make this soup dairy-free, swap out the butter for olive oil and omit the sour cream for serving.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- One 18.25-ounce (540-milliliter) can white kidney beans
- 6 cups (1 1/2 liters) vegetable broth
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
- Canola oil, for frying
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup capers
- Sour cream
- Finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- For the soup: Place a large pot over medium heat. Add in the butter and shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook just to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into small florets and dice the stalk. Add the cauliflower into the pan along with the garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook just until the vegetables start to pick up some color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and carefully pour in the vegetable broth.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until the cauliflower is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and, using an immersion blender or a stand blender, and working in batches with the vent cap open, purée the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice and red pepper flakes and place over low heat to keep warm while you prepare the toppings.
- For the toppings: Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Separate the rings of the shallots and add to a small bowl along with cornstarch to cover. Toss to coat then remove the shallots from the cornstarch, dusting off as much excess as possible. Carefully add them to the oil to fry just until lightly golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and season immediately with salt.
- Dry the capers off with paper towels and add to the oil to fry until frizzled looking, 1 to 2 minutes. Then transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- Serve the soup topped with a spoonful of sour cream, a scattering of crispy shallots and capers, some parsley and black pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 630 |
| Total Fat | 59 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 8 mg |
| Sodium | 986 mg |
Reviews
This was delicious! Easy to make. Topping the soup with fried shallots and capers makes the soup taste even more delcious.
Delicious soup! Mary knocked it out of the park with this recipe! It’s super quick and easy to prepare, especially with an immersion blender. The toppings were absolutely divine! First time frying capers…..oh my! We also had French’s Crispy Fried Onions on hand so we added those (highly recommend this topping too). This comfort food hit the spot during the snowstorm this week. Can’t wait to make it again!
This cauliflower soup is the best from Food Network. This is my first Mary Makes it Easy recipe and I’m hooked! So much so I’m making my second batch (a double) so I can freeze it and use it for my lunches. The toppings made my hubby happy too. Who knew deep frying capers were so crazy good! It’s absolutely delicious!
Excellent! So delicious and easy to make.
Very good recipe!! I love the shallot and caper topping. Delicious! Will definitely make it again.
Really good recipe but if you roast the cauliflower first it becomes a great soup!
Really great quick, easy, healthy lunch. Omitted the garnish and just used a swirl of olive oil and was delish and filling on a cold day!
This is better than Irish potato soup! So easy and a keeper here. Thanks Mary
This is really a nice option to have in my soup repertoire. At first I thought I added too much lemon, so you might want to add a bit cautiously if you have a really juicy lemon, but like others, I did add some cream to it (eyeballed it) and the more I ate, the more I loved it. I’m not a cooked cauliflower fan, but it looked so good on her show, I had to try it. Really good.
This soup was delicious. Thank you.