Description
This delicious Creamy Cauliflower Bean Soup is the perfect soup on a cold winter day. Its creamy texture coupled with a healthy amount of white beans makes it hearty and oh so yummy! Enjoy this healthy and wholesome Whole Food Plant Based soup; it is sure to be a new cold day favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 1 carrot, cut into thin slivers (reserve until later)
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 1/2 cup to 2 cups unsweetened plain plant milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 to 4 – [ 15.5 oz. cans ] white beans, drained and rinsed
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ to 1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon of crushed dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (+/- to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon freeze dried shallots (optional)
- 1 to 3 teaspoons sea salt (+/- to taste) *
Optional Topping: chopped chives.
Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf) into a small bowl, whisk, then set aside.
- In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch Oven or similar large soup pot, add the diced onions, diced carrots, and diced celery, and sauté until translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes or until the veggies are tender. (If needed to prevent sticking, add 1- 2 Tablespoons of vegetable broth or water).
- Add the cut-up cauliflower, water, vegetable broth and bay leaf to the pot, and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to ensure the cauliflower are very tender.
- Discard the bay leaf.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
- Place the pot back on the burner, add the Spice/Herb Mix, plant milk and nutritional yeast, and thinly slivered carrots. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add 3 to 4 cans of white beans (or and equivalent of cooked white beans from dry) and stir. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Taste test for flavor, add more seasonings if needed to reach the desired flavor.
- Serve: Top individual servings with snipped chives.
Notes
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
*White Beans: Feel free to use your favorite white bean such as cannellini, great northern, navy, etc.
*Plant Milk: Start on the low end. The plant milk tends to soften the flavor of most spices. This soup is influenced by the vegetable broth selected as some vegetables broth brands have a much stronger flavor than others. We suggest starting on the low end and adding more as needed to achieve the level of flavor that suits your tastes.
*Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: We use Penzeys French Thyme. Dried and crushed thyme leaves are not the same as ground thyme. Ground thyme has a powdery consistency. Whereas dried and crushed thyme leaves have texture. You can use either in this recipe. We used dried and crushed thyme leaves, so if you are using ground thyme, scale back to half of the amount indicated in the recipe and check for flavor consistency.
*Freeze dried shallots: We LOVE freeze dried shallots, they are so good and always add a nice element to a lot of Vegan WFPB recipes. They can be found reasonably priced on Amazon if your local grocery store does not carry them.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs. Note: Our family was very divided over the amount of sea salt, start with the lower amount, and add as needed or add to individual servings.