Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chestnut Soup

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chestnut Soup is rich and flavorful without any cream.

I was at Whole Foods the other day picking up some fresh ingredients to make a few more pureed soups for a friend. As I passed the freshly prepared food section, I checked out the soups of the day. Two soups that caught my eye were the Carrot Fennel Soup and the Cauliflower Chestnut Soup. 

I'd never tried these combinations in soup before although I've made a few Creamless Cream of Carrot Soups and a Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup before. One of the reasons I love soups is that you can easily experiment with different combinations of flavors, whether by combining vegetables or adding herbs and spices.

When I got home, I searched for a Carrot Fennel Soup recipe and came across this lovely soup on Sweet Amandine.  

I love the combination of carrots and fennel in Sweet Amandine's recipe.

I decided to make Sweet Amandine's Carrot Fennel Soup and a Cauliflower Chestnut Soup, similar to the one I found at Whole Foods. As I thought about how to prepare the Cauliflower Chestnut Soup, I decided to roast the cauliflower first to add another layer of flavor to this soup. I was really pleased with the results -- a velvety smooth, rich tasting, full flavored soup, a bowl of pure comfort. Both soups are so good, I could eat them hot or cold.

I will be adding both this Carrot Fennel Soup and Roasted Cauliflower Chestnut Soup to my Collection of Pureed Soups.

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chestnut Soup

Printable Recipe
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, cleaned well, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled, cut up
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup cooked chestnuts
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast cauliflower for about 20 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion and leek and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes, turmeric, thyme, bay leaf and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add chestnuts and roasted cauliflower and continue to cook 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Carefully puree soup in a blender. Season with salt and pepper.

Served 6-8.

Anti-Cancer Ingredients: Carrots, Fennel, Cauliflower, Onion, Leek, Turmeric