Roasted Broccoflower and Cheese Soup

Okay, okay…let me start off by saying that I didn’t actually use broccoflower, though I’ve had it before and enjoyed it.  This has broccoli and cauliflower in it, and I just have an inexplicable fondness for portmanteau.  (You could totally use actual broccoflower.)

In the wee hours this morning, San Antonio got a tiny dusting of snow and ice, which shut down major highways and all school districts, of course.  As you can imagine, it was pretty much all gone by late morning, but it was probably best to keep people off the streets.  Folks here don’t know how to drive in it, plus the city doesn’t have the equipment to deal with it.  To give you an idea, the last time I saw snow here was a couple weeks before my 3rd birthday.  Yep.  But don’t worry.  I got plennnty of it while living in Baltimore and Cleveland.

Since it’s been much colder than usual here and lots of places, it’s high time for some soup, right?  I recently roasted up some cauliflower for dinner (it was a dinner portion) and decided I wanted some of that in soup.  Pair that with my desire to make the Broccoli Cheddar Soup at 101 Cookbooks, and you get this soup!

Roasted Broccoflower Cheese Soup

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

What I love about this soup is that it’s a vegetable-based soup with cheese rather than a cheese-based soup with some vegetables.  I feel like the latter is probably what most people are used to when it comes to broccoli cheese soup.  The main difference between this and Heidi’s recipe is of course the addition of cauliflower but also the preparation – I roasted all of the veggies instead of cooking them in the pot.  The soup itself is gluten-free (minus the croutons, of course) and can be vegan if you omit the cheese and use olive oil instead of butter.

Croutons:

about 3 cups good bread torn into 1 inch pieces (I used buttermilk)

1/4 cup butter, melted or olive oil (I used a mix)

1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used dijon)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)

1 shallot

1 medium onion, quartered

1 large potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small crown of broccoli, cut into florets

4 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup freshly grated cheddar, plus more for topping

1 – 3 teaspoons whole grain mustard, to taste (I used dijon)

For the croutons: Preheat oven to 350F.  Whisk the mustard and salt into the melted butter and/or olive oil.  In a mixing bowl, toss the bread pieces with the liquid mixture.  Spread the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden brown (this was more like 12 minutes for me).  Set aside.

For the soup: Preheat oven to 425F.  Sprinkle some olive oil on a baking sheet (you can use the dirty crouton one), then add all veggies except the broccoli.  Sprinkle some more olive oil over the veggies, toss them all to coat, then spread out in a single layer.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove the pan and add the broccoli, tossing all the veggies again and adding more oil if needed.  Bake for 10 more minutes.

Transfer all the veggies to a large pot and add the broth and butter.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for a few minutes.  Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor (what I did).  Stir in the cheese and the mustard to taste.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.

To serve, top with more cheese, croutons, and a little olive oil if desired!

(hmm, it’s not the most glamorous soup, color-wise…)

I almost didn’t make the croutons.  Don’t be like almost me!  They’re so simple and really make all the difference.  I may have just eaten half of them…