I have been enjoying a lot of soups lately and I just had to share this recipe for an asiago roasted garlic cauliflower soup. This is a super simple soup where you roast up the cauliflower and a few heads of garlic and make a soup with them along with plenty of melted asiago cheese! Other than the time that it takes to roast up the veggies this soup is easy to make and it requires very little hands on time. While the cauliflower is roasting or while the soup is simmering I like to make a crunchy popped quinoa and chia seed topping by toasting quinoa until it pops (like popcorn), along with panko bread crumbs, sesame seeds and chia seeds! The crunchy topping adds a really nice contrast in texture and I like to add lemon zest and parsley to the mix to brighten things up!
Add bacon!!!
Asiago Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup
A creamy roasted garlic cauliflower soup with plenty of asiago cheese and a crunchy popped quinoa and chia seed topping!
ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-4 heads garlic
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste (optional)
- 1/2 cup asiago, grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon quinoa (raw)
- 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup asiago, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
For the soup:
For the crunchy topping:
directions
- Toss the cauliflower in the oil, salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Cut the top 1/4 off the heads of garlic, drizzle the oil on top, wrap in foil and place on the baking sheet along with the cauliflower.
- Roast in a preheated 425F/220C oven until the cauliflower is tender and lightly golden brown to a little charred, about 20-30 minutes, mixing the cauliflower half way through.
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, roasted cauliflower and garlic, squeezed from the skins, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes before pureeing with a stick blender, in a blender or in a food processor.
- Mix in the miso and asiago and heat until the cheese melts into the soup, about a minute, before adding the lemon juice.
- Heat the quinoa in a pan over medium heat until the quinoa starts popping, and then slows down until there is more than a second between pops, mixing continuously to prevent burning.
- Mix in the breadcrumbs, seeds, and asiago, add and toast for a minute or two, mixing.
- Mix in the lemon zest and parsley before serving as garnish on the soup.
For the soup:
For the crunchy topping:
Option: Add 1 cup heavy cream, milk or almond milk, etc. to make it creamier.
Option: Add 1/4 cup tahini to the soup to make it extra creamy.
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Looks delicious and super decadent Kevin!
Love this hearty winter soup!
Immediately pinned! My husband says he isn't a big cauliflower fan, but I NEED to make this for him and prove him wrong 🙂 🙂
Sues
wow..that's the BEST cauliflower soup I have ever seen. Awesome flavour!
What kind of cheese can I trade the asiago for?
Pass me a spoon and a giant pot!
LaLá: Parmesan would also be good!
Do you add the milk/creamer before or after blending?
You must like garlic because that is ALL you taste in this soup! WAY too garlic-y for my taste (and the rest of my family's).
Is the quinoa cooked or raw before you 'pop' it please?
Alison: Use raw quinoa for the popped quinoa. Enjoy!
Thanks Kevin
Currently working on this recipe in the kitchen! I'm excited! Do you just squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves?
This was delicious! I used 2 huge heads of roasted garlic and the flavour was not overpowering at all. I'm actually gonna go for 3 or 4 next time. Love the asiago, miso and herb taste. Thanks for the awesome recipe
Loved the recipe, but the pop ups and advertisements really do make it difficult to follow and reference back while making it on my iPad. I would make again but will print the recipe!
Beautiful flavour – great comfort food!! Definitely keeping this in the rotation 🙂
Could this be put into a crockpot like on warm,and just maybe add the topping when you serve the soup?
Mary Kidder: Yes, you can!
This sounds amazing! The topping seems a little confusing/difficult for me. (Just learning my way around the kitchen) Anything you recommend as a substitute?
This sounds amazing! The topping seems a little confusing/difficult for me. (Just learning my way around the kitchen) Anything you recommend as a substitute?
Carole: You can omit the topping or replace it with something else, croutons,crumbled crackers, bacon, etc. Enjoy!
Do you peel the garlic at all before adding it to the pot or just toss it in, "paper" casing and all?
Tiffany: Squeeze the garlic from the skins. Enjoy!
When do you add the lemon juice?
Add the lemon juice after the cheese has melted into the soup. Enjoy!
The soup looks great, although I’ll be giving the topping a pass — to a supertaster like me, quinoa tastes like syrup of ipecac and gives me the same gag reaction. And no, it doesn’t matter how it’s prepared.
Question, though: What can be used instead of miso? I am allergic to soy and will not use any kind of it in cooking.
I would simply omit the miso, but you could try adding a dash of fish sauce. Enjoy!
Delicious!! I used 3 heads of garlic and it was plenty. I also drizzled a little chili oil over the top. Served with a grill turkey and cheese and a nice Chardonnay. Perfect on a cold night. Thank you for the recipe.
I love garlic, I used 3 heads and it was pretty over powering. My husband wouldn’t even eat it. I think it’s a great recipe though and I might try again with just one head of garlic or even less maybe, it was really all I could taste this time. I also added two roasted pablano peppers, but couldn’t really tell they were there.
I did love the topping. I will definitely use that again on other dishes!
Once the garlic is roasted it should only be adding a pretty mild flavour to the soup. Was the garlic super soft and mushy, dark/golden brown by the time it was done roasting?
Hi Kevin, do you think I could make the soup without cheese? Any recommendations if I opt? Thanks!
Yes you can make this without the cheese! It will not have as much flavour but it will be amazing!
Roasted Cauliflower soup was amazing. Can you freeze it? I enjoy your recipes, they are some of my favorites. 😃
I’m glad you like it! It freezes well!
I’ve made this A LOT…just for the family (kids love it) and when I entertain too. My little ones love a little (homemade) popcorn on theirs…adds a fun (salty crunch) element & I must say, it’s really good! I always add extra garlic when I make it. Awesome soup…thank you!
What would you say the Miso adds to the soup? It’s a bit hard to find at my local grocery stores and I love Miso but was surprised when the recipe called for it. Just wondering if it’s worth it to track down the miso or if it doesn’t create a crazy impact on the soup?
I really enjoy adding miso to soups like this! It adds saltiness along with it’s own flavour! If you can find it, use it, otherwise I would not spend too much time trying to track it down. I have a list of ingredients that I keep an eye out for and if I ever see them I will pick them up! 🙂
This is by far one of our favorite soups! My husband was hesitant, as he is not a cauliflower fan. He had THIRDS the first time I made it…I cannot describe it, but the flavor combinations are just flat out amazing. I am making it again tonight as we “shelter in place” for the Covid-19 stuff..
This is the BEST healthy soup I have ever eaten! I’ll be watching this site very closely in the future!
When I made the topping it all clumped together after I added the cheese, what did I do wrong?
Mix/stir everything while it is toasting in the pan to prevent it from clumping into one big piece.
Made this last night & it was fantastic! Used 3 heads of roasted garlic and did not add miso since I didn’t have any. Made the topping & it was really good too! Will definitely make this again!
I can’t even read the recipe, this site is so busy with ads and pop ups and everything jumping around
Thank you for sharing this recipe – it is delicious! I was out of miso so used a dash of fish sauce as suggested and it worked perfectly. Also, the topping was so good and added just the perfect balance to the soup. Loved it!
I haven’t made this yet, although I’m excited to try it this weekend. This reply is for the commenters who are (rightly) complaining about all the ads making the recipe hard, to impossible, to read. I urge you to check your browser for a “Reader” setting! It does exactly what you want it to: displays only the text and none of the other clutter. There may be some sites that doesn’t support this setting but this one does!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I made with Parmesan instead of Asiago, and doubled the quantity to make loads. My housemates loved it too and I’ve even has to pass on the recipe. I can’t wait to make this again