Cauliflower Soup with Crumbled Bacon
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Why I love this soup….
Noteworthy health benefits
I’m a fan of anything delicious, easy and healthy — and this soup checks all the boxes for me. The base of veggies are extremely nutritious. Cauliflower, celery, onion and garlic are nutrient-dense and full of vitamins and minerals. Garlic and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower are known to fight cancer, among other diseases.
Soups are also a great way to get the most out of vegetables because they are easy to digest, which makes it easier for the body to process and absorb nutrients. Some vegetables are also more nutritious when cooked rather than raw (including celery). Soup and cauliflower both made it on the Cleveland Clinic’s list of 5 foods to eat this winter. They also point out that frozen cauliflower can be just as healthy, so feel free to substitute a couple bags of organic frozen cauliflower if you don’t have a fresh head of cauliflower.
If you follow me on Instagram or have read my post on 45 Things to Keep Stocked for Healthy Dinners, you know that I always have several bags of cauliflower rice stashed in my freezer. If you go this route, I would use at least 2 bags of frozen cauliflower rice, and you can probably shave a few mins off the cook time and prep time this way!
Also, this soup is gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30 and Keto friendly if you use sugar-free bacon!
Simplified prep
I find it easier to make blended soups like this since you don’t have to be very precise with your prep. Chopped vegetables don’t have to be uniform or pretty – they just have to be roughly the same size for the sake of cook time. You can also take a few seconds to do a finer chop if you’re in a hurry, or leave pieces rather large if you’re not in a rush!
When to serve cauliflower soup with crumbled bacon
I typically make this soup as our veggie side for dinner and then enjoy the rest for lunch later in the week. This soup is a hit, even for people who don’t usually love healthy food, so it’s also great to serve when you’re having people over for a meal because it can be made in advance.
How to get cauliflower soup just right
It’s very easy to adjust the texture and consistency of this soup. If you find that it’s a little too thick, you can add in extra bone broth or some nut milk (I typically add somewhere between a splash and a cup of pre-made Modest Mylk).
If your soup is too thin, simply simmer for a few minutes and it will cook down and thicken up. Timing will depend on just how much you want it to thicken up.
How to serve cauliflower soup
Using bacon fat to saute the vegetables instantly adds flavor and richness, even though there’s technically no meat in the soup itself. The crumbled bacon on top of the soup feels very indulgent, adds some texture, and a little goes a long way.
If you wanted to limit saturated fat, you could reduce to two strips of bacon and get a very similar result, just less for the crumbled topping.
Either way, I’m a big fan of finishing this dish with some truffle salt.
How to make a vegetarian version of this cauliflower soup
If you want to make a vegetarian version of this soup:
- Use avocado oil or ghee instead of bacon fat to saute vegetables
- Use a vegetable stock instead of bone broth
- Consider adding a 1-2 inch block of Parmesan cheese, this adds a nice richness and Parmesan is fairly low in lactose but high in flavor
- Top with a few pinches of truffle salt
Cauliflower soup with crumbled bacon: step-by-step video
Cauliflower Soup with Crumbled Bacon (Keto, Paleo & Whole 30 Compliant)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top or Instant Pot
- Cuisine: New American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This soup is nutritious, satisfying and and easy to pull together. It’s also dairy-free, and Keto, Paleo, and Whole30 compliant. See above for modifications to make a vegetarian version of this soup.
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bacon (sugar free to be Paleo, Whole30, Keto compliant)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups of celery, chopped (either one bunch of celery hearts or 1/2 of a large bunch of celery)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 6–8 cups of bone broth (start with 6 cups and you can add more once you’ve blended the soup)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: splash of nut milk (I use Modest Mylk)
- Optional: pinch of truffle salt
Instructions
- Add bacon to a stock pot or Instant Pot and cook on Saute setting (Medium High heat on stovetop) until very crisp. You can chop the bacon before cooking or cook whole slices and then crumble once cooked.
- Remove bacon and set aside.
- Add chopped onion and celery to bacon fat and cook until translucent, stirring to prevent it from burning. Keep on Sautee if using an Instant Pot, or reduce to Medium heat on stovetop. Season with a generous pinch of salt and cracked pepper.
- Add in garlic, cauliflower, and another big pinch of salt. Toss and cook for about 5 minutes, until garlic has softened, being careful not to let it burn.
- Add in bone broth. If using an Instant Pot, cook for 2 minutes on high pressure. In a regular pot, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to Medium-Low. Cook until the cauliflower is soft, about 10 minutes. You can also keep your Instant Pot on Saute and skip the pressure cooking since this is relatively quick.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (this is the one I have, this is another popular model that’s very reasonably priced).
- Taste soup and adjust seasoning as needed.
- If you need to thin the soup out, you can add more broth and / or nut milk (anywhere between a splash and a cup). If the soup is too thick, cook for a few minutes and it will reduce and thicken up.
- Serve with crumbled bacon and a few pinches of truffle salt.
Notes
I chopped the bacon before cooking when I took these photos, but next time, I will probably save that step and cook the bacon in whole strips since I don’t love handling raw meat.
You don’t need to be precise when you chop your veggies since everything will be blended. Just keep in mind that cook time will vary depending on how large or small your cauliflower is chopped. If you want to make this soup in a hurry, I recommend breaking down your cauliflower into small pieces.
I use homemade, unsalted bone broth. I don’t add salt when I make the broth because that gives me more control over seasoning when I cook. If you use a store-bought bone broth, you may not want to salt your vegetables (step 3), and instead wait until you taste the blended soup before adding salt.
I avoid putting hot food in my plastic blender, so I prefer immersion blenders for soups. It’s also easier and less mess. This is the one I have, this is another popular model that’s very reasonably priced.
Keywords: Cauliflower Soup, Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup, Keto Cauliflower Soup
This is going to be so delicious!
★★★★★
Yes!! Enjoy!!
made this last night. SO easy, so good. next time I’m going to make a double batch and just freeze half of it to have around!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!! It really is easy and so tasty. Thank you for sharing!
I am a huge soup person, however, I never make a blended soup. This was absolutely delicious and packed with flavor! I added a Rosemary olive oil and bacon bits to the top.
★★★★★
Yay! It’s easy and really flexible (I’ve made it with fennel, turkey bacon, no bacon, etc.) – blended soups are so easy like that. Thank you for giving it a try and sharing!!