Curried Cauliflower Soup

Cozy up to a flavorful bowl of Curried Cauliflower Soup. Made with red curry paste, coconut milk, and It will cure what ails you on chilly fall evenings. This easy recipe from Awesome Vegan Soups by Vanessa Croessman is vegan and gluten-free.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

On Seinfeld, Jerry once argued with Bania over whether or not soup is a meal. Jerry said it is, and Bania said it isn't. I found myself siding with Bania. I've never found soup to be very filling That said, I wouldn’t pass up a bowl of hot, creamy soup on a cold winter’s day.

Years ago, when I heard that Vanessa Croessman was writing a vegan soup cookbook, I knew that she’d be creating hearty and flavorful meal-worthy soups, as I already knew delicious recipes from her blog Vegan Family Recipes.

My favorite recipe from Awesome Vegan Soups is the Curried Cauliflower Cream Soup. I will never turn down any vegan recipe that’s curried and creamy. The “cream” in this scrumptious Thai-inspired soup comes from the cauliflower, which blends up to velvety perfection. It’s also made with curry paste, coconut milk, and garlic, which all add to it’s delicious flavor. Topped with more cauliflower, spicy peppers, and basil, this is my kind of soup. Maybe Jerry was right – maybe soup really is a meal!

What You Need

• Sesame oil
• Red curry paste
• Garlic
• Cauliflower
• Fresh basil
• Lime juice
• Vegetable stock
• Coconut milk
• Salt and pepper
• Cayenne pepper

How to Make Curried Cauliflower Soup

This soup is soup-er easy to make!

• First you heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil and the red curry paste over medium-high heat in a stockpot.
• You add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.
• Next you stir in the cauliflower, basil, and lime juice, savig of the basil aside for garnish. You cook everything for 4 minutes then add the stock and coconut milk.
• Now you bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
• You then purée the soup with an immersion blender, or in a blender, in batches. If the soup is not completely smooth, return to stovetop and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes before pureeing again.
• Season your soup with salt and pepper to taste.
• While the soup is cooking, heat the 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a small frying pan and fry the cauliflower florets over medium-high heat for roughly 5 minutes, or until they start to brown. Add the sliced cayenne pepper and remaining chopped basil to the pan and fry for an additional minute.
• Serve your soup topped with the cauliflower, basil and cayenne pepper slices.

Red Curry Paste

Red curry paste is made with red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, cilantro, and kaffir lime. Sometimes fish or shrimp is added, so make sure you check the label, even when buying a brand you’ve purchased before. (Formulas change and manufacturers don’t always make it clear on the front label.) I like Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste. It can usually be found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store.

Awesome Vegan Soups

Awesome Vegan Soups contains 80 recipes for seasonal soups that are plant-based and made with whole foods. Vanessa emphasizes using season produce, which is something I talk about often with my health coaching clients, too. She gives tips for making better soup and info on storing your soupy creations, and she explains why a whole foods, plant-based diet is optimal. The book is also full of Vanessa’s mouthwatering photography. Soup has never looked so good!

The recipes in Awesome Vegan Soups are divided by season, rather than type, which is really handy, because the last thing I want to do in the dead of February is think about gazpacho. You’ll find such warm and hearty dishes as Sweet Potato Chili and Mixed Mushroom Stew in the autumn chapter, while the spring section contains light and fragrant meals like Easy Artichoke Soup and Faux Pho. Vanessa has also included a chapter of homemade toppings, such as pestos, croutons, and non-dairy sour cream. She shares her homemade broth recipe, as well.

The chapters in Awesome Vegan Soups include:

• Hearty and Warming Autumn Soups
• Cozy and Filling Winter Soups
• Bright and Fragrant Spring Soups
• Light and Refreshing Summer Soups
• Extras and Toppings

If you, like Jerry, believe soup is a meal, you need Awesome Vegan Soups!

Curried Cauliflower Cream Soup

Vanessa Croessmann

In high school, my best friend and I used to go to every Thai restaurant we could find. The only thing I would order was a vegetable red curry because why would you order anything else? This simple soup takes me back to my red curry obsessed days without requiring a whole lot of different vegetables and ingredients.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 31 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Thai

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 331 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Soup

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil (15 ml) divided
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste (10 g)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ head cauliflower (320 g), cut into florets
• Small handful fresh basil chopped, plus more for garnish
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (10 ml)
• 2 cups vegetable stock (480 ml)
• 2 cups coconut milk
• salt and pepper

For Serving

• ¼ cup cauliflower (58 g) cut into small florets
• 1 cayenne pepper sliced

Instructions

 

• Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and the red curry paste over medium-high heat in a stockpot. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in the cauliflower, basil and lime juice, setting some of the basil aside for garnish. Cook for 4 minutes then add the stock and coconut milk. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Purée the soup with an immersion blender, or in a blender, in batches. If the soup is not completely smooth, return to stovetop and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes before pureeing again. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a small frying pan and fry the cauliflower florets over medium-high heat for roughly 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower starts to brown. Add the sliced cayenne pepper and remaining chopped basil to the pan and fry for an additional minute.
• Serve the soup hot with the cauliflower, basil, and cayenne as a topping.

Notes

Reprinted with the permission from Awesome Vegan Soups by Vanessa Croessmann

Calories: 331kcal | Protein: 6.9g | Fat: 33.5g | Fiber: 4.7g

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More soup recipes you may enjoy include

• Easy Curried Pumpkin Peanut Soup
• Spicy Lentil and Carrot Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Roasted Kabocha Soup