Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Chili Oil

Smoky, smooth, and surprisingly light, this quick and creamy cauliflower soup is low in calories, carbs, and saturated fat, but high in flavor and nutrients. This recipe is like a more nutritious and leaner version of potato soup. And thanks to the addition of Kettle & Fire’s collagen-containing chicken bone broth (a better option than chicken stock or chicken broth), it also has protein and essential minerals. We would take a bet that this is going to become one of your favorite new soup recipes.

Bacon is the not-so-secret ingredient in this soup. Using the bacon fat to sauté the aromatics, which include slightly sweet leek and fennel, adds a hint of smokiness to this great recipe. The smokiness is highlighted by the optional paprika chili oil that we recommend drizzling on right before serving. Anchovies cooked into the base of the soup might add surprise here, as well as protein and a subtle boost of umami. It’s basically a wholesome soup disguised as a delicious soup.

While roasting the cauliflower beforehand might seem an unnecessary extra step, it does a lot to deepen the flavor of this soup and rounds it out with a bit of sweetness from the caramelization. This also makes it a creamy soup, as well as cutting down on the prep time and total time of this recipe. To make this soup really efficiently, we recommend cooking the bacon and aromatics while the cauliflower is roasting.

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Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Chili Oil

This cauliflower soup recipe is like a more nutritious, leaner version of potato soup. And thanks to the addition of Kettle & Fire’s collagen-containing chicken bone broth (a better option than chicken stock or chicken broth), it also has protein and essential vitamins.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword cauliflower soup with bone broth, soup with bone broth

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 238 kcal

Author Kettle & Fire

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower cut into small florets (or lightly chopped in a food processor)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 slices thick-cut uncured bacon
• 2 anchovies
• 1 small fennel bulb chopped
• 1 small leek chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 4 cups Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. On a baking sheet, toss the chopped cauliflower with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast, tossing once, until florets are browned all over and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot or large saucepan over medium heat, add the bacon, flipping occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, but reserve the bacon fat in the pot. Once the bacon cools, chop very finely.
3. In the same pot over medium heat, add the anchovies, fennel, leek, and garlic to the bacon fat and cook until the onion and fennel are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the roasted cauliflower, broth, bay leaves and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook at a high simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Discard the bay leaves and let cool slightly.
5. In a blender or immersion blender, purée the cauliflower mixture until very smooth.
6. Meanwhile, make the chili oil. Wipe out the pot used to make the cauliflower soup. Over very low heat, add the remaining olive oil, paprika, and chili powder and warm until fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Ladle the delicious soup into bowls and top with bacon bits and chili oil.

Recipe Notes

Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free