Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup is absolutely delicious! Roasted veggies blended with onions cooked in bacon fat, blended with broth and cream until lusciously delicious. Serve with crisp bacon, white cheddar and a grilled cheese.
So yeah, this soup. What can I say? It’s the soup that you will want on a cold day. Or on a lazy Sunday where grilled cheese and soup and a crackling fire are all that’s needed to create the coziest of days. And get you through watching football. Okay so maybe that’s just me.
This soup reminds me of a better, roasted version of this soup but with the addition of cauliflower and BACON. Come to think of it, what isn’t better with the addition of bacon? Absolutely nothing.
This soup begins and ends with bacon. It adds a welcoming smoky touch, but totally takes the back seat to the roasted broccoli, cauliflower and the sharp white cheddar. Yet somehow I’m unsure if this soup would be what it is without those crispy little lardons and truthfully I don’t want to find out. It’s a soup that will warm your soul, or as my dad would always say; “It’ll put hair on your chest”. Which really isn’t going to make anyone try this soup soooo let’s just forget I even said that, deal?
[Hi👋🏼Love you, Dad!]
Grab the largest head of cauliflower and broccoli you can lay your hands on.
Cut the cauli into uniform sized florets and drizzle them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of kosher salt.
Next, repeat with the broccoli florets. Roast both pans of vegetables in a 450° oven for 20-25 minutes or until they start to caramelize and are knife tender, swap racks halfway through roasting.
The broccoli was done at 20 and the cauli needed 5 more minutes. So watch’em and pull them out when they are done.
Reserve 1/4 of each pan of roasted cauliflower and broccoli. We’ll be adding these back in a little later but for now set them off to the side.
Next, add diced applewood or pecanwood bacon to a Dutch oven and heat over medium low.
Then add a teaspoon of olive oil to get the bacon off to a good start. Cook until golden and super crispy. With a slotted spoon drain the bacon on a paper towel lined plate and set off to the side for a smidgen.
Next, dice up amedium onion, roughly about a cup will do. Then mince up two cloves of fresh garlic.
Next drain off all but a tablespoon of bacon fat and sauté the onions until soft. About 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic in and cook for a minute or two.
Next, measure out 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth. I know, I know this cup reads 3. But really you want 4. Trust.
Next add the broth to the pot along with the rest of the roasted broccoli roasted cauliflower.
Stir, increase heat to medium.
Next cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Awww yes! Vegetable deliciousness!
Now, ladle out spoonfuls of the tender vegetables and broth and place into a blender. OR you could use an immersion blender right into the pot. Blend until smooth.
Next pour the pureed soup back into the pot. Then reduce the heat to low and measure and add 1 cup heavy cream, stirring to combine.
Next add that bowl of reservedd roasted veg in as well.
Then add in the 4 ounces of grated fresh sharp white cheddar cheese, about 1 heaping cup.
Lastly, gradually stir until the cheese has melted and soup is warmed through. No need to bring back to a boil. Taste and check for seasoning. I added 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt… then I seasoned my personal bowl with lots of black pepper. Furthermore, add more broth if a soup is desired.
Finally ladle into bowls and then garnish your beautiful bowl of roasted broccoli cauliflower soup with the crispy bacon pieces, fresh torn parsley and more cheddar. Because why not? However, served with a grilled cheese isn’t ever a bad idea.
Enjoy! And if you give this Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!
Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup (with Bacon and White Cheddar!)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- kosher salt
- 2 slices thick cut applewood bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup diced yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (plus more for serving)
- fresh parsley, torn (for garnish)
- black pepper, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°. Separate broccoli and cauliflower florets on two sheet pans. Drizzle both pans with two tablespoons of olive oil each and season with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until caramelized and knife tender. Swap racks halfway during roasting. Remove and set a quarter of both the broccoli and cauliflower off to the side.
- Meanwhile in a Dutch oven add the bacon and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Heat over medium-low until bacon is cooked and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but a tablespoon of bacon fat.
- Add the onions to the pot, stir and cook 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the broth and the remaining cauliflower and broccoli. Cover, increase the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Ladle the broth and vegetables into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot, reduce the heat to low and add in the heavy cream. Stir and add the reserved vegetables and grated white cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the soup is heated through.Taste-check and season with kosher salt to your preference {I added 1-1/2 teaspoons}.
- Ladle soup into four bowls, top with crispy bacon, torn parsley, more cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.
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OMG this looks so delicious! I’ve have cauliflower soup, and I’ve had broccoli soup, but never the two together, I can’t wait to try this!
The presentation on this soup is just stunning. Love your photos! Can’t wait to try this out!
I know what I’ll be making on Saturday! This looks incredible!
Girlfriend, this looks off the charts!! Pass me a spoon!
My Daughter loves Broccoli cheddar soup so this will be a nice improvement!! & she does not like orange cheese, so love the white cheddar! thanks, ljp
What a wonderful idea to
Roast the veggie first…can’t wait to try this on a cool Octobe football weekend!
You know me, I’m hands down sold on anything that begins and ends with bacon!!
This soup is a bowl of savory yumminess! A must try for sure!
Laurie, this is some stunning soup. Everything good in there…I could eat the whole panful.
Oh my gosh, Laurie!!! This soup looks amazing! I was practically drooling as I scrolled through the pictures–it was torture 🙂 Definitely putting this on my fall soup bucket list!
Thank you Laura!! <3
I am debating withholding the cream. It tastes delicious and creamy as is in my pot here . . . roasting is key to this amazing flavor. Great recipe, Laurie (as always!!!)!
Hi Danielle! That’s totally up to you. Seriously the only thing is that it does bring the volume of the soup a bit but if you want more volume you could try doing another cup or 1/2 cup even of broth. I’m so happy you’ve made the soup!! Enjoy! ❤️
ps I’m in your mitten state for a wedding in Holland this weekend!
Holland is beautiful! I’m on the other side of the mitten but have been there before. Have a great time!
Delicious!!!! So comforting 🙂
Tried. Approved:)
Instrumental step: Taste-check at the end.
Thank you Laurie again – so far, my attempts to make broccoli cream have been failures due to cheese curdling:( Which really was sad as I love broccoli cream and I’ve always wanted to make it at home… Now I can, thanks to your recipe! Yay! Thank you, Laurie!
Laurie this was fantastic! Omitted the cream (added more stock), but otherwise made unaltered. Found it got better with time as the flavours married. Just polished off the last of the left-overs and wishing I had more!!
Have loved everything I’ve made from your blog – recipes are always easy to follow and steps are very clear! Thanks for another great one
Hi Laurie! so I found you yesterday (oh boy am I happy I did!) and I made this soup today….it is so so perfect and comforting and light even with the cream and bacon in it that I think I will drink it! my 3 year old was fighting the look (mommy it has too many dots lol the broccoli dots :D) but he is shoveling it in and I can’t be happier. thank you so much, I can’t wait to try your other recipes! greetings from CO
Hi Petra! I’m so happy to hear you and your son are enjoying this soup! It’s a new favorite of ours
I tried this recipe with broccoli alone, with stock alone (that is, without cream), or with 2% milk instead of cream. Tasted excellent every time. And it does require 4 cups of stock, just like Laurie says. Only once did I get it wrong by making it a bit too “liquidy” (I guess I didn’t use enough veggies) . But aside from that one time, it turned out excellent every time. Thanks again:)
Making this now! I couldn’t believe I had all the ingredients, right down to the extra sharp cheddar! I’m a huge x-sharp cheddar fan – homemade au gratin potatoes or mac & cheese are not the same even with regular sharp. I can’t wait to serve this! I have half ‘n’ half in the fridge, so I’ll use that and bulk it up by serving over rice.
It’s smelling perfect!! (not to mention a few taste-tests along the way already!)
I really like cauliflower and broccoli, and I like turkey bacon (no pork for me, thank you!) and cheddar–this sounds like a terrific soup, with only minor adjustments (can’t have garlic in any form whatsoever).
Thank you for the pin 🙂
Looks good! Instead of topping with bacon, try topping with toasted pretzel croutons made from pretzel rolls :)))
Can I use half & half instead if the cream? I wish you would have included approximately how many lbs of cauli & broccoli to buy. That would be helpful. Guess I’ll grab the largest I can find, like you said.
Hi, I just made this. Takes a LOT of time for prep work. It tastes good, but a bit bland. I added 3 tsp salt. Don’t care for the broccoli taste. I have another cauliflower soup recipe that I like better with basically same ingredients, but with added herbs & no broccoli. Topped off with pretzel bun croutons :)))
I would give this recipe 3 stars.
I just made this! SOOO Tasty and relatively healthy. DO you have an ideas for substitutions on the heavy cream?
Hello. This looks delicious! Do you know if there is something I could sub instead of cream? Or do you know how it would be if I just left this step out? Thanks so much!
Hi Michelle! You could try substituting the cream with pureed white beans. Or you could even try half and half. Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe! It is cold and rainy (early spring in Wisco) so this soup plus warm hearty grain (take-n-bake) bread was perfect. I used a shallot along with a small onion and a touch of Penzey’s shallot pepper blend but otherwise followed it exactly. Delicious! We’ll have it again.
Im planning on using leftover whey from yogrut for this recipe should I use the whey in place of all of the stock or do half and half?
Instead of bacon, made with crabmeat which I added after the cream and with the remaining veg. Unbelievable!
I just made this and it’s fabulous! I don’t have a printer so my handwritten notes forgot to take out the bacon as a garnish so it’s part of the puree… Doesn’t make a difference. It’s easy to make, tastilicious! This is another keeper. I made the Chicken Noodle Soup last week! Thank you Now I see I should try with crabmeat… OMG! Thank you!
Just made this tonight. Prep was pretty easy. Loved the idea of cauliflower and white cheddar. I ended up adding 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the cause it was so cheesy fatty. Not a bad thing though. It was a huge hit. Thanks for the recipe.
Just made this and its awesome i did however sub the heavy cream with low fat half and half and its still very rich and cheesey
I’m so happy to hear it, Andrew! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review!
Darn it mine didn’t come out creamy. Maybe it’s because I used an emulsion blender. It’s grainy but still good
Hi Suzy! It may just have needed more time to thicken up. I’m glad you still enjoyed it! 🙂
I made this yesterday & it was DELICIOUS!! Do you think this would freeze well?
I’ve not tried freezing it yet. If you do try it, I would defrost slowly. Sometimes the texture of cream based soups change after being frozen. 🙂
Not that great!
Hi Sally, I’m sorry you feel that way.
So delish! I’ve made a bunch of roasted vegetable soups this season and this recipe is definitely one I will repeat. I threw a couple of parsnips in as well. This is dressy and tasty enough for guests (although my family enjoyed this evening). I am digging how pureed soup turns out in the Vitamix!
Made this a few years back look no further guys this is the recipe your looking for trust me it disappears in mins everyone loves it and has been in our recipes ever since ty very much for sharing this it’s so awesome
I’m so happy you like it, Janet!
Deliscious soup!! I added more onions and garlic then the recipe called for and it is great!!
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Jennifer!
Superb! Had no cream so melted cream cheese in a bit of milk and, yes, it was good. My husband loves paleo so the extra fat was welcome. Fabulous recipe, roasting those veg kicks it up a notch for sure! Thank you, Laurie
Brilliant! I’m so glad, Carolene!
Hello, is this something I can make a day ahead? And perhaps just add the cream and cheese the following day? I’m serving brunch for 8 women next. Saturday. Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! Without testing it, it’s hard for me to say with 100% certainty what the results would be. But I think it’s definitely possible, and I think reheating the soup (day of) and adding in the cream later is a great idea and would love to know how it works out for you! Enjoy!
Delicious! I omitted the bacon and cream and added Greek yogurt. A pinch of cayenne. So yummy!
Great changes, Kelly! I especially love the pinch of cayenne!
Oh my goodness! Simply delicious! I like you am a huge bacon fan and I love trying new recipes. I’m in Florida where we will hit 28 degrees tomorrow. Brrr for here. This was easy to make, and delicious with some warm crusty bread. Thank you for sharing, will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy! Thank YOU for taking the time to make the recipe and leave a review. Happy New Year!
This could easily be done with zero cruelty. No one needs bacon and the cream can be substituted with coconut cream and the cheese with vegan options. All just as good and much nicer to animals. Might try making it with those options!
Delicious! I made a few changes, making the recipe my own. I diced a russet potato & cooked it along with the cauliflower & broccoli. I added a dash of dried thyme & pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. I used half & half instead of heavy cream & about a cup more of chicken broth. Topped with chopped green onion, crumbled bacon & cheddar.
Awesome!
دروود
hi chef laurie
i hope you are good and happy
i found your Beautiful and professional site recently
you are the best…..
i made this soup yesterday
it was PERFET…
.i am saeed from persia
I studied cooking for about 4years in iran(persian)
i love cooking baking bread and confectionary but in iran…..
plz guide me for sending you pictures that i made those from your recipes…..have a good time with your family…..
Hi Saeed! You can share any photos on instagram and tag @simplyscratch or on my facebook page!
Made this soup in March of 2020. I’m on a gluten and dairy free cleanse so I did not add cream or cheese. I did add more broth instead and salt. And a bit of curry but it’s so light my kids never tasted it. Love this! Thank you
That’s awesome, Amanda! I’ll have to try making it this way!
Will most assuredly try, substituting natural greek yogurt for cream. Can soup be frozen?
When I tell you that I’ve made this recipe AT LEAST 15 times this fall, I am not joking. This is my favourite soup EVER. Thank you SO much!
Delicious!!