My favorite soups are definitely the thick and creamy kind. Unfortunately, they are not healthy! They usually have cream and flour, which I would prefer to leave out of my soup.
So how can you make a creamy soup without all that cream? Use cauliflower to replace the cream! Don’t be alarmed if you do not like the taste of cauliflower; it’s not my favorite vegetable to eat usually but I love making cauliflower purée and using it as a thickener or a sauce or even to replace mashed potatoes. The taste is completely transformed once the cauliflower is puréed and garlic, seasonings, and butter are added! The result is a delicious healthy creamy mushroom soup!
Possible modifications:
There are 2 things to easily modify in this recipe: the thickness (amount of water/broth you add) and the size of the chopped mushrooms. As for the thickness, I like to include additional broth so there is more soup to eat while still keeping it thick and creamy. As for the mushrooms, I first tried chopping them very finely. I actually used a food processor for this and, in my opinion, they turned out too small. Then I tried leaving the mushrooms sliced and I thought they could be cut smaller than that. I think my favorite way to prepare the mushrooms is to slice them and then cut the big pieces into halves or quarters, so they end up being a perfect bite size.
So many recipes can be created or modified using a cauliflower purée! Even the purée itself is delicious to eat!
- 1 lb mushrooms (may use white, portobello, shiitake, or cremini), finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 15 baby carrots, grated
- 1.5 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups + 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ + ¼ + ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ cup parsley, minced
- In a large pot, add 2 cups broth, 2 cups water, ¼ tsp salt, and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 - 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Meanwhile, heat a medium or large skillet to medium-high heat, then add the olive oil and the onion. After a couple of minutes, add the mushrooms, carrots, thyme, black pepper, and ¼ tsp salt. Let the vegetables cook down for about 5 minutes while stirring often.
- After the cauliflower is fork tender, turn the heat to low to allow the broth to simmer. Transfer the cauliflower to a blender using a slotted spoon. Add the butter, minced garlic, ⅛ tsp salt, and 1 cup of the liquid from the pot into the blender. Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute. You may need to stop the blender half way to scrape down the sides.
- Add the mixture back to the pot. Add the cooked vegetables to the pot. Add another 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth. Bring back to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add the minced parsley and stir.
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