Description
This creamy cauliflower and leek soup is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender cauliflower, sweet leeks, and crispy bacon lardons. Enhanced with garlic, fresh herbs, and a touch of cream, it’s pureed to a smooth texture and finished with fresh chives and a drizzle of olive oil for a satisfying warm meal perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 2 large leeks (white and light green parts only)
- 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/4 cup minced chives or scallions
Meats
- 6 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch lardons (or 6 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces)
Liquids & Oils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Herbs & Spices
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 sprig fresh rosemary)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the leeks: Halve the leeks lengthwise, discard the woody root end, then slice each half into thin slivers. Place sliced leeks into a bowl of cold water, rinse well to remove dirt, then drain and set aside.
- Cook the bacon: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil and then the bacon lardons. Slowly render the bacon fat by stirring occasionally until the bacon is crisp and browned, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Leave the rendered bacon fat in the pot.
- Sauté leeks and onion: Add the sliced leeks and onion to the pot with the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and garlic: Stir in the chopped cauliflower, grated garlic, a generous pinch of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until the garlic is softened and fragrant.
- Simmer the soup: Pour in the chicken stock and add the fresh thyme sprigs. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it gently simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and starting to break down.
- Finish the soup base: Remove the thyme sprigs and discard. Stir in the heavy cream, if using, and turn off the heat.
- Puree the soup: Use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend until completely smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer soup in batches to a blender (filling only halfway), blend on low speed until creamy, and repeat until all soup is pureed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve: Divide the soup into bowls. Top with the crispy bacon lardons, minced chives or scallions, a few grinds of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- To make this soup vegetarian, omit the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- The heavy cream is optional; for a lighter soup, you can skip it or substitute with a dairy-free alternative.
- Make sure to thoroughly rinse the leeks as dirt can hide between the layers.
- Use caution when blending hot soup to avoid steam burns; allow steam to escape by leaving the blender lid slightly ajar.
- Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
