Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This is one of the first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest. I’ve since gone on to pin (or re-pin) more than 500 food-related items, but I kept this one in the back of my mind, because it was one I knew that I definitely wanted to try. Roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower...Um, YUM. As soon as the weather cooled down enough that soup seemed like an appropriate dinner option, I put it on our menu.

The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity. It’s literally only four ingredients, not including oil and seasonings, and that allows its flavor to really shine through. It’s intensely flavorful, slightly sweet from the roasted garlic, slightly sharp from the leeks, and slightly earthy from the cauliflower. It’s creamy without containing a hint of cream. Underneath it all is the nutty flavor brought out by roasting the vegetables. I served it alongside a humble grilled cheese sandwich and topped each serving with croutons for some crunch. This was such a simple, delicious dinner.

Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Garlic Soup
slightly adapted from Tartelette

1 small head of cauliflower
1 whole head of garlic
2 leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the middle.

2. Trim the outer leaves from the cauliflower head. Cut in quarters, remove the core, and cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Place on a large baking sheet.

3. Peel each garlic clove and place the peeled cloves on the baking sheet with the cauliflower.

4. Trim the white part from the green stalk of the leeks. Keep the white part and cut into medium sized chunks. Wash well under water and place also on the baking sheet.

5. Drizzle with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes.

6. Let cool slightly. Place in a food processor, start running the machine and add enough stock to have a creamy soup. Re-season if necessary with salt and pepper. Serve.