Basic Vegetable Cream Soup
Low carb, non dairy soup recipe. Other vegetables can replace the cauliflower: asparagus, spinach, red bell peppers, tomatoes or more cauliflower. I once made it with red Swiss chard stalks and it was delicious! If you use a fibrous vegetable like asparagus, strain the soup through a sieve after pureeing. There are many options for garnishing - bacon bits, chunks of chicken, ham, sour cream, crispy prosciutto or pancetta, smoked salmon or a sprinkling of cheese. Blue cheese is great with plain cauliflower and smoked salmon is elegant on asparagus.
Low carb, non dairy soup recipe. Other vegetables can replace the cauliflower: asparagus, spinach, red bell peppers, tomatoes or more cauliflower. I once made it with red Swiss chard stalks and it was delicious! If you use a fibrous vegetable like asparagus, strain the soup through a sieve after pureeing. There are many options for garnishing - bacon bits, chunks of chicken, ham, sour cream, crispy prosciutto or pancetta, smoked salmon or a sprinkling of cheese. Blue cheese is great with plain cauliflower and smoked salmon is elegant on asparagus.
- Carbohydrate 20.3985185394604 g
- Cholesterol 18.8500000101442 mg
- Fat 8.03067861722882 g
- Fiber 2.48308147355706 g
- Protein 12.6494588567153 g
- Saturated Fat 2.61665514486533 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (503g)
- Sodium 631.253939469269 mg
- Sugar 17.9154370659033 g
- Trans Fat 0.63586423107474 g
- Calories 202 calories
Step-by-step
- Trim the broccoli and cauliflower and chop coarsely. The core of the cauliflower and the broccoli should be used too. Save a few tiny florets of broccoli to add later.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sizzle until it smells fragrant. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, turn down and cook at a lively simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Puree in batches in a food processor or blender - a blender works best for this - with the mustard and tarragon add the broccoli florets and season to taste. Thin with stock or water if the soup is too thick. Add the cream if desired.
Operating under the constraint of a standard 12-quart stockpot and a standard countertop blender, this recipe requires careful thermal management when transitioning boiling liquids into enclosed blades. Heat builds pressure rapidly inside a sealed blender container, meaning cooks must remove the center feed cap, cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel to vent steam safely, and process the vegetables in small batches rather than all at once. Puréeing cruciferous vegetables alongside Dijon mustard and dried tarragon emulsifies the natural starches of the broccoli and cauliflower with the extra virgin olive oil, creating a rich mouthfeel without requiring heavy cream.
Freezing this soup demands foresight regarding dairy stability, because soups containing heavy cream tend to break, separate, or grain when thawed and reheated. Freeze the vegetable base strictly without dairy, storing the portions in airtight containers for up to three months, and stir the heavy cream into the hot pot only after the soup has thawed and returned to a gentle simmer on the stove. When reheating frozen batches, maintain medium-low heat to prevent scorching the chicken stock solids at the bottom of the vessel.
Chemical interactions between the sulfur compounds in the brassicas and the acidity of the Dijon mustard dictate the flavor balance of the finished broth. Mustard contains organic acids that brighten the earthy glucosinolates released by boiling broccoli and cauliflower, cutting through the vegetal heaviness while enhancing the savoury umami notes derived from the chicken stock and minced garlic. Adding the mustard during the blending phase ensures even distribution of these volatile flavor molecules throughout the emulsion.
Retaining a few raw broccoli florets to drop into the hot purée right after blending provides textural contrast against the completely smooth background soup. These reserved pieces soften just enough from the residual heat of the liquid while maintaining structural integrity, offering a visual cue of the primary ingredients used inside the pot.
