All I’ve been making and eating lately is soup. Vegetable soups, fish soups, more vegetable soups. I’ve spared you from yet another soup of late, a mushroom and wild rice concoction which was delicious, but… soup. This one, however, I had to post. Healthy, vegan and gluten free for those who swing that way, easy, and cheap (I am a sucker for saving money). Warming and hearty for a nice winter lunch and it’s even better the next day.

ROASTED GARLIC & CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets 
• 1 head garlic, intact
• 1-2 yellow onions, sliced or diced
• olive oil
• 5 c stock or broth of your choice
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/4 c white wine, optional
• 3 tbsp flour of your choice, optional
• 1 c milk, half and half, or cream, optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 and grab a cookie sheet with a lip and a small oven-safe bowl or ramekin. Wash off the cauliflower and chop the white portions into chunks and florets, placing on the cookie sheet and drizzling with olive oil, tossing to coat. Cut the top of the head of  garlic- straight across so a bit of each clove is exposed- and place it, papery skin and all, into the ramekin. Drizzle it with olive oil, too, and top with foil. Bake both in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring the cauliflower once halfway through.

Don’t worry if it’s brown or charred in some places- it should be.

Meanwhile, caramelize the onions. Heat another healthy glug of olive oil (or a combo of olive oil and butter, about 2 tbsp each) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and a healthy pinch of kosher salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to low and cook until the cauliflower is ready, stirring now and then. The onions will be nice and brown and your pan will, too, which brings me to the optional flour and/or wine. If you’d like, increase the heat to medium and add the wine, scraping up the tasty brown bits and deglazing the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until no more flour is visible.

Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cook for about a minute to remove the flour taste, then add the cooked cauliflower florets, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the soup, and add milk or cream, if you’d like. Don’t worry, the garlic will be sweet and mellow and won’t overpower the other flavors you have going on. Taste a clove first if you’d like- they good. They real good.

Okay! So now, purée the soup as much as you’d like. I like my soups pretty puréed, and cauliflower will still have texture if it’s blended, so I went to town.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Add another cup of broth or water if you’d like a thinner soup. And that’s it! So delicious and really good for you. Enjoy!