Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms + Thyme

Soup! It’s one of the most versatile meals we can make; it freezes well, tastes even better the next day, and can be made out of almost anything. I was a little bored of my usual soups on rotation: butternut squash or chili. Repeat. Although I roast cauliflower almost weekly, I had never made or even tasted a cauliflower soup. I was inspired by a few different recipes, with a lot of sampling/adjusting along the way. The finished product is hearty, creamy, with just enough tang to be unique and the shiitake mushrooms add an earthiness that’s just toooo damn good.

PS- It can be made vegan if you omit the cheese, but why would you want to do that? (kidding)

INGREDIENTS:

(serves 4)

1 whole head cauliflower (about 2.5 cups cooked)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 small yellow onion
2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4-5 sprigs of thyme
2 TSP lemon juice
1 TBSP whole grain mustard
1/2 TSP garlic powder
1 TSP salt + pepper, more to taste
olive oil

Toppings: shiitake mushrooms, olive oil, and/or more parmesan cheese

TO MAKE:

Roughly chop cauliflower and spread on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper. Bake in oven on 400 degrees until brown/crispy edges appear (about 40 minutes).

While the cauliflower is cooking, heat chopped onions with a little olive oil in large pot over medium heat until translucent, a few minutes. Salt/pepper lightly.

Add in chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (until fragrant, but not burned). Pour in vegetable stock and turn to low. Add in garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, mustard, thyme (take off sprigs), and lemon juice.

Once cauliflower is done, add to pot and let everything heat through for 10-15 minutes.

Transfer to a blender (you may need to do 2 batches) and blend until smooth. You could also use an immersion blender if you have one, but the regular blender will get it a bit smoother.

Pour mixture back into pot, over low heat, and add in the coconut milk and cheese. Stir and let sit until combined and hot. Add any salt or pepper to taste, if needed.

For mushrooms:

Wash mushrooms (keep them whole) and add them into pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add in any extra thyme you have. Cook until done, 5-7 minutes. (You can use any other type of mushroom if you want)

Pour soup and top with mushrooms + a drizzle of olive oil. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for longer!