Cauliflower & Farfalle Soup
When you need something cozy, fast!
Last night, I was tired and grumpy and not in the mood to cook. Unable to decide, I texted Stephen: “What do you want for dinner?” and he answered immediately, “Cauliflower soup.”
Do you ever buy cauliflower, and then don’t know what to do with it? Let me solve that problem for you. Pick up some heavy cream, then throw this soup together (you probably already have the other ingredients sitting around… chicken broth or bouillon, half a box of any sort of pasta, and you’re good!) You don’t even have to use Parmigiano if you don’t have any. Last night, I only had the rind left, so I threw that in, because did you know you can just boil the rind right in your soup and it will make the whole thing taste amazing?
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And now, back to the soup.
It’s not a fancy soup. From the looks of it, you’d almost think it’s trying to fly under the radar, like, “Nothing to see here! I’m just a bunch of white ingredients, all mixed up.”
But then it wows you with its creaminess, its homey-ness, its light-but-filling-ness. By the way, this recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, 140 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes by Valerie Ferguson— a present from Stephen back when we were dating, circa 2011. (It’s almost like he knew he wanted me to cook for him, forever... and I guess that plan turned out pretty well for him… so I guess, if you’re dating someone you like, just start buying them cookbooks?)
Anyway. This soup is great on it’s own, like truly enough for a meal. But it’s also fab with this no-knead bread, if you’re thinking ahead a bit!
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta
Dairy free: use cashew cream in place of the heavy cream and cheese.
Kids Can Help
Wash cauliflower, break off florets
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 ½ cups dried mini farfalle
⅔ cup cream
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (from a 4-oz block)
1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Step 1
Bring broth to a boil in a medium-large soup pot.
Step 2
Divide the cauliflower into florets and add to the broth; simmer until tender (about 10 minutes).
Step 3
Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender if you have one!)
Step 4
Return blended soup & cauliflower to the pot and bring back to a boil; add pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 more minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, grate cheese.
Step 6
Once pasta is fully cooked, add cream, nutmeg, cheese, and salt, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Note: Soup can be served immediately, but you can also wait about 10-15 minutes if you’d like the pasta to absorb more of the broth, which will give the soup a more hearty feel.