Servings: 6 Prep: 20 min Cook: 50 min Total: 1 hr 10 min
This soup is my answer to “cream of potato”. I was worried that it wouldn’t stack up, but … well …
What’s “Cream of Potato Soup”? I’ve completely forgotten!
This soup was AMAZING. The kind of taste experience that makes me want to go out at night, pick a random table in a nice restaurant and … dance on it. It’s that good!
I often cook many things on the same day. This helps me save time, while getting lots of good photos and stashing some good food away to eat for the rest of the week. However, it’s not uncommon for friends to drop in, when that scent goes wafting out through the streets. The day I made this soup, people came running. Usually people will share. There’s plenty of food to go around! This time … there was a palpable tension in the air. No one wanted to share! They all wanted the soup … all to themselves! Not just the soup, either, but … the lovely little garlic chips and bacon suspended in the middle.
The big trick is not burning the garlic. You want it sweet and roasted, with a nice flavor throughout the soup, but … it goes from caramelized to “burned” at the snap of a finger. Go slow. Go low. Make it. It’s worth it. You’ll be glad you did!
Cream of Roasted Garlic, Cauliflower and Bacon Soup
Print RateIngredients
- 4 slices raw bacon chopped (for bits)
- 12 each garlic cloves sliced into 1/8th inch thick "chips"
- 1 head large cauliflower stem and leaves removed and cut into small florets
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 1/2 cups cream heavy whipping
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until the bacon is crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the bacon grease and set aside, while leaving the grease in the hot pan.
- Over very low heat, in the pan with the bacon grease, add the garlic chips and slowly let them slowly fry and turn a light golden brown. The slower, the better. This can take upwards of 30 minutes and require some careful attention (while you do other things). Do not let this burn or turn too dark. It becomes bitter VERY quickly.
- Remove the garlic from the bacon fat and set aside on a paper towel to dry.
- Add 1/2 of the remaining bacon fat to a medium sized soup pot and add 3/4's of the cauliflower florets. Add some salt and pepper to the pan and fry the cauliflower in the bacon fat for about 3 minutes, until just a little color is added to the cauliflower.
- Add the chicken stock to the soup pot.
- Let simmer for 20 minute, or until very soft.
- Add the cream to the soup and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Place the original sauté pan, with the remaining bacon fat, on the stove over medium heat. Add the final 1/4 of cauliflower florets and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Do not let the soup boil, but when it is very hot, puree it in a blender, very well, until smooth.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and consistency with more warm chicken stock, if it needs it.
- When the cauliflower in the sauté pan is cooked and slightly browned, add the bacon and roasted garlic.
- Divide the soup between several bowls, then garnish with the cauliflower florets, bacon and garlic chips.
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
NOT that this soup needs anything but I am a cheese addict. Have you ever tried this with some sharp cheddar melted in?
I haven’t! I’d bet it would be tasty, though. Give it shot!
It becomes BITTER (not better) very quickly 😉
Nikki, it’s true! It goes from a beautiful light, sweet and amazingly smooth garlicky flavor to … punched in the tongue bitter, if it crosses over some invisible line. Soft and light gold is the ticket. Don’t go too dark. It’s no fun!
Nikki meant the third bullet point…last sentence…you need to change "better" to "bitter."
Fixed! 🙂
I have a milk allergy, think it would work with canned coconut milk?
Kathy, sure it would work, but it’ll pick up the taste of the coconut. If this doesn’t bother you, then … go for it. I’m sure it’d be delicious! 🙂
Two nights ago I made your broccoli cheese soup (which we love)and substituted cauliflower and chicken broth (omitted the thyme) blended till smooth, and garnished with diced crisp bacon. It was very, very good (guests asked for the recipe). That variation will be my go-to cauliflower soup because I love cheese and cauliflower, but the next time I make it I will use the garlic and bacon garnish from this recipe because it sounds fabulous!
Sounds delicious, Kathy! Thanks for sharing the idea!
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! Would an immersion blender puree this enough?
Hi Meredith, different immersion blenders have different levels of power. I’ve never used an immersion blender for the home. All the immersion blenders I’ve ever used were commercial grade and EASILY puree something like this. My guess is … it’ll work just fine. It may take a bit longer, but … it’ll work. I hope this helps! 🙂
Sounds wonderful…..but two questions. You give the carb count for cream as ten…I thought cream was carb free – and what do you supposr the carb count for regular potato soup would be?
Hi gmann … all cream is about 8 carbs per cup … or .5 carbs per tbsp. What you see is trickery on labeling laws. If an ingredient has less than 1/2 carb per serving, they can legally list it as zero. So, what a lot of companies do is they set the serving size very low, so they can list zero. The reality is … it’s probably .49 carbs. If you look at several cream containers, you’ll see some list 1 carb per tbsp, while others list 0. They’re all really right around 1/2 carb per tbsp … no matter what the carton says. I don’t know how many carbs in potato soup. It would depend on the recipe, but … the short and simple answer would be: Too many. 😉
This was by far the best soup I’ve ever made, and I make pretty good soups, if I say so myself. I will make this again and again. Thank you, George!
You’re welcome, Jennifer! 😉
I was surprised to see your carb count for chicken broth. It’s made from meat! Shouldn’t it be carb free?
Made this tonight. It’s delicious. The bacon & garlic add a nice surprising burst of flavor. Thanks!
Awesome!!
Thank you!