Cheddar Buffalo Cauliflower Soup
Delicious cheddar buffalo cauliflower soup packed with flavor from a whole head of roasted garlic, your favorite buffalo sauce, and savory cheddar cheese. This easy buffalo cauliflower soup is thick and creamy without using any cream. Enjoy as is or mix in your fav proteins for the perfect lunch or dinner!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 227cal
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or sub chicken broth if not vegetarian)*
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to ⅓ cups mild or medium buffalo sauce, depending on your heat preference
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- To garnish:
- Extra shredded cheddar on top
- 1 to 2 scallions, sliced (green part only)
- Chopped chives
- Buffalo sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the veggies: Add cauliflower florets to the pan, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper; toss to combine. For the garlic: peel and discard the outer papery layers of the whole garlic head. Leave the skins intact of the individual cloves. Using a sharp knife, cut ¼ inch off from the top of the cloves so that the individual cloves of garlic are exposed. Place garlic in a medium piece of foil and drizzle the top of the garlic with olive oil then loosely wrap in the foil and place on the pan with the cauliflower. Roast cauliflower and garlic for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cauliflower is nice and golden, tender and caramelized.
- Cook the onion: While the cauliflower is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add diced onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Blend the soup: In a large blender add the onion, roasted cauliflower, roasted garlic, broth, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute, then add back to the pot and place over medium heat. Tip for the garlic: allow it to cool enough to touch then simply squeeze out the roasted garlic from the skin.
- Finish it off: Bring soup to a light simmer over medium-low heat, then stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, taste and add more buffalo sauce if you want to kick it up. Buffalo sauces can vary in spice and flavor so start small and increase to suit your preferences. Garnish extra grated sharp cheddar cheese, scallions, chives and a drizzle of buffalo sauce. Serve with crusty toasted sourdough or your favorite bread of choice. Serves 4.
Notes
If you want a creamier soup, feel free to sub 1 cup milk for 1 cup broth. Alternatively if you want a bit of a richer soup, feel free to add ½ cup heavy cream in place of ½ cup of the broth.
If you prefer a thicker soup, start with 3 cups of broth.
Add 1 to 2 cups shredded cooked chicken in step 5 for a delicious protein-packed Chicken Buffalo Cauliflower Chowder that’s perfect for game day. I love using shredded rotisserie chicken for ease.
This would also be delicious with my bleu cheese dip swirled on top.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (based on 4) | Calories: 227cal | Carbohydrates: 10.4g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 17.1g | Saturated Fat: 6.6g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3.8g