Hoo boy – I bought this head of cauliflower at the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday because it was $1.00. I thought I’d roast it and eat it, standing at the counter, while the kids ate their noodles. But then I realized, since I had a loaf of rustic bread all ready to pop into the oven, I better make a soup to go with it.
Last time I did a cauliflower soup, it was a creamy one with cheddar cheese and a potato. Alas, I had no potatoes having used them up in my Gardener’s Pie last week so I checked out another recipe. It was easy! I was able to do this while unloading the dishwasher, helping someone to various art supplies spread far & wide across the house, and picking up all the toys scattered across the backyard.
But I’m glad you didn’t see the kitchen/house afterwards!
YOU NEED:
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1-1/2 heads cauliflower, roughly chopped (I only had 1)
2 tsp fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes)
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth (I used Vegetarian Chicken Bullion)
2 tsp dijon mustard
2/3 c grated cheddar cheese
4 TBSP butter
2 c whole milk
6 TBSP all purpose flour
OPTIONAL: 1 c half & half
1. Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until browning, stirring occasionally.
2. Add carrots & celery and cook for another 4 minutes.
I used a red onion because I had it! To me, it made no difference.
Lookit how cute and tinily diced those carrots & celery are.
Tinily?
3. Add the cauliflower & parsley. Hoo boy it’s time for me to get a new parsley plant. I need two going at all times as my poor parsley can’t keep up with the demands placed upon it. This is all I could get!
That “undead” finger is actually my pinky. So photogenic!
I only had one head of cauliflower but next time I’ll use 1-1/2 heads as my soup needed more.
Turn heat way down, cover & cook for about 15 minutes on LOW. Feel free to stir every so often.
4. Add 1 or 1-1/2 quarts of the broth. Save that last 1/2 quart to decide if you need it or not depending on how you like your soup. Heat to boiling, then turn down heat and simmer.
5. Melt butter in a small saucepan. I used the same soup pot I started my soup in until realizing that pot was way too small. So there are a few onions in there. No bigs!
6. Now whisk your milk & flour together. Add that mixture to the melted butter, stirring to combine. **Now here’s an option for you: add 1 c half & half to the white sauce you just made. I didn’t do that b/c I never have half & half in my house.** You will have a thickened sauce. Pour that milk/flour/butter mixture into the soup and stir.
7. Add 2 tsp dijon mustard to the soup as well as 2/3 c grated cheddar cheese. I think mine needed the cheese because I used 1% milk instead of whole milk. If you use whole milk AND half & half, you might want to omit the cheese. Or add it! What, me worry?
Let soup simmer for another 15 minutes. Add salt & black pepper to taste!
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth (I used Vegetarian Chicken Bullion)
2 tsp dijon mustard
⅔ c grated cheddar cheese
4 TBSP butter
2 c whole milk
6 TBSP all purpose flour
OPTIONAL: 1 c half & half
Instructions
Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until browning, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots & celery and cook for another 4 minutes.
Add the cauliflower & parsley.
Turn heat way down, cover & cook for about 15 minutes on LOW. Feel free to stir every so often.
Add 1 or 1-1/2 quarts of the broth. Save that last ½ quart to decide if you need it or not depending on how you like your soup. Heat to boiling, then turn down heat and simmer.
Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Now whisk your milk & flour together. Add that mixture to the melted butter, stirring to combine. **Now here’s an option for you: add 1 c half & half to the white sauce you just made. (For extra creaminess…)** Regardless of the half & half, you will have a thickened sauce. Pour that milk/flour/butter mixture into the soup and stir.
Add 2 tsp dijon mustard to the soup as well as ⅔ c grated cheddar cheese. I think mine needed the cheese because I used 1% milk instead of whole milk. If you use whole milk AND half & half, you might want to omit the cheese. Or add it! What, me worry?
Let soup simmer for another 15 minutes. Add salt & black pepper to taste!
Serve with rustic bread & grated cheddar to top.
Notes
If soup is too chunky, puree ⅓rd of it using a blender or immersion blender. Be CAREFUL if you use a regular blender as the heat can make it explode out! It never happened to me – it happened to a “friend” of mine.
Yesterday in L.A. it was cold out. And grey. What I mean is, we had to wear socks & jackets. But we didn’t – we wore flip flops.
Anyway, what better meal to come home to at the end of the day than a thick, warm soup with homemade croutons? Try this for your next Meatless Monday (since it’s now Tuesday…)
I made a barley vegetable soup a few month ago and it was really good but this one is WAY better. I had bought a bag of dried split peas a few weeks earlier because I thought they’d be tasty but I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with them. Since I still had some barley in my cupboard, I looked for a recipe combining the two and VOILA! With some adjustments I had a hearty, thick and really tasty soup. It called for croutons and since I didn’t have any I made ‘em! This is the first time and I want to tell you – make croutons as often as you have soup. They are REALLY easy to make & add that extra something that soup sometimes needs.
Here we go! You’ll need these items:
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
Let’s get started!
1. Saute chopped onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add crushed garlic for another minute. Be sure to stir occasionally to coat with oil.
2. Add carrots and celery. Stir to coat with oil and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add split peas and powdered bullion/water to pot OR vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, add bay leaf and barley.
5. Simmer covered for about 2 hours.
No, it’s not 1:20PM. 60 minutes + 60 minutes.
D’OH!!! That’s a long time.
6. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add water/broth as needed. I like my soup sort of thick so I didn’t. Sprinkle some croutons on top & serve.
How to make the croutons??
You’ll need:
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
6 oz whole grain bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Olive oil
2 TBSP butter (or, you can just use 2 more TBSP olive oil which is just as tasty)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
NOTE: I used one of my homemade breads that I froze a few weeks earlier. If it doesn’t get eaten within the first day or so, I freeze it for croutons. I hadn’t actually made any croutons, EVER, but I knew I would! That said, you can use any old bread you have – so next time you have a couple of heels from your Oroweat sandwich loaf – wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a ZipLoc and freeze ‘em!)
This is so easy!
1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut bread into 1/2″ cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan. Melt butter in oil over medium heat. (Incidentally, you can also just use oil if you prefer.)
3. Pour heated oil/butter and mustard over bread cubes & toss to coat.
4. Spread bread cubes across a cookie sheet evenly.
5. Bake for about 12 minutes. Taste one – it should be crunchy, not chewy. If it’s chewy return it to the oven for another 2 minutes.
Author: Christina Cox (soup adapted from Food.com, croutons from Annie’s Eats)
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Hearty, thick soup topped with crunchy croutons. Perfect for a chilly afternoon!
Ingredients
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¾ c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
About 6 oz whole wheat (or whatever you have on hand) stale or frozen bread, cut into ½” cubes
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter (OR skip the butter and just add 2 TBSP more olive oil)
salt
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
Instructions
SOUP INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic & sautee for 1 minute more.
Add chopped carrots and celery, sautéing for another 4 minutes.
Add split peas and water/bullion OR broth (depending what you have on hand.) Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and add bay leaf and barley.
Simmer for about 2 hours. Soup will be thick and cloudy (not clear.) Add water/broth to achieve your desired thickness. Or just leave it alone!
CROUTON INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in small saucepan. Add butter (or just double the olive oil and omit the butter). When butter is melted, in a medium bowl, pour over bread cubes. Toss to coat.
Spread bread cubes evenly on a cookie sheet, salt to taste & bake for 12 minutes. Cool and test one cube. It should be crunchy. If it’s chewy, bake for another 2 minutes.
Notes
This actually might serve more than 6. Good in refrigerator for 3-4 days. They will stay good in the freezer up to 3 months.
Some days I have no idea(r) what to make for dinner. Sesame noodles, pasta with olive oil & parm, pizza, and mac & cheese can only be served so many times. Well, LOTS of times, actually.
Here’s something you can literally throw together without feeling *as* guilty. (I’m not a Catholic, but I play one in real life.)
Here’s all you need:
1. Sautee onion in heated oil over medium heat until translucent (about 4-5 minutes.) Add garlic & cook for another minute.
2. Add diced tomatoes.
3. Add oregano.
4. Yell at kids & remind them that you only need 10 minutes if they can just “be good & watch TV!”
5. Hold baby while finishing this soup and thank your stars you picked something easy tonight.
6. Add broth. Bring soup to a boil. Then add tortellini & follow cooking instructions on package. Unless you made them yourself, in which case you aren’t reading this blog.
7. A minute before tortellini is done, add spinach. I told you to read the WHOLE recipe before you started! Oh, you say I didn’t? I meant to!
That’s it!! There’s nothing else to do except sprinkle fresh parmesan cheese on top.
You really don’t need to bother with bread or a salad which makes fewer dishes.
My kids loved this the first time. (I had to cut Bea’s tortellini up and obviously she couldn’t handle hot soup but she ate the solid parts cut up.) The second time Maddie refused to eat anything but the tortellini. Believe it or not, I have read all sides of the picky eater being made v. born and, with that knowledge under my belt, I think next time I’ll puree the soup before adding the tortellini. In other words, in one ear & out the other.
I might even puree the spinach in if it won’t look too gnarly.
***
UPDATE: I made this a few more times and finally have it down! The reasons I omitted the spinach are threefold:
1. My kids hate it.
2. I refuse to buy spinach when my garden is full of swiss chard.
3. It gets slimy the next day. Nobody likes slimy leftovers and I don’t like wasting food.
Instead I added 3-4 shredded carrots. I also pureed the tomatoes before adding. My beloved in-laws gave me an immersion blender for Christmas so I used that. Thanks Fitzs!!
Finally, I added some parmesan cheese directly to the soup & stirred. I then sprinkled a little across the top of each serving! Yum!
Tortellini Soup Recipe – Last Minute Dinner Idea(r)
Author: Christina Cox (Adapted from Annie’s Eats)
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
The EASIEST, quickest soup to make when you’re not up for cooking! Yes, I love me some soup. – Revised version
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
½ c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, grated
½ tsp dried oregano
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
9 oz tortellini (fresh or frozen)
OPTIONAL: ¼ c chopped parsley
salt & pepper
grated parmesan, to serve
Instructions
Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan, stirring to coat in oil. Cook until translucent about 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic for 1 more minute.
Add grated carrot & stir. Cook for another minute.
Pour in diced tomatoes.
Add oregano.
Add broth.
Bring to a boil
Add tortellini & cook according to package directions minus 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese & serve!
Notes
I pureed my tomatoes before adding them using an immersion blender. That was to disguise them from my kids. It worked! They ate it all up.
I also tossed in just under ¼ c of the grated parmesan & stirred it right into the soup. Yummy!
