Creamy cauliflower carrot soup with toasted sourdough and fresh chopped tarragon, topped with sea salt flakes and cracked black and pink peppercorns. It’s simple, yet packed with flavour and very nutritious. Just roast, blend, and serve with your favourite bread!
Dairy-Free • Gluten-Free Option • Vegan • Vegetarian
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Highlights
- Dairy free, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian – To make this gluten-free, simply use gluten-free bread.
- Added protein – This healthy soup has cannellini beans blended into it!
- Quick & easy – Just roast, blend, and serve! It can be ready in 30 minutes.
Equipment needed
- Roasting tray lined with baking paper. I use reusable baking paper! It looks and feels like parchment paper and I love that it can go right into the dishwasher.
- Blender, food processor, or hand blender.
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Soup steps
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Then, chop the cauliflower into florets and the carrots about the same size. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as we’ll be blending everything together. Peel and slice the onion halve in half again and place everything onto a lined baking tray.
How to roast head of garlic / garlic bulb
Slice the top of the garlic head off so that the tops of the cloves are exposed (do not slice the root side). Peel off any loose layers, but make sure all the cloves are still intact. Place onto the baking tray (cut-side down). If using a large garlic head (e.g. garlic is much larger in the US), then slice it in half and add both halves to the baking tray.
Drizzle everything with olive oil and toss with ground cumin, ginger, salt and pepper. Place the tray in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Flip half way through for even cooking (keep the garlic cut-side down).
Step 2. While the vegetables are cooking, toast your sourdough. Once it’s lightly toasted, slice into small cubes, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Place on a baking tray under the high-heat grill setting (this setting is referred to as “broil” in the US). Toast until extra crunchy. If gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free bread instead of sourdough.
Step 3. Add the stock, coconut milk, and canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed in water) to a pan. Simmer on low heat until ready to blend.
How to blend the creamy soup
Step 4. When the vegetables are done in the oven, squeeze out all the garlic cloves— be careful, it’s hot! Use about half of the garlic head and save the rest for later (see garlic notes). Add to a blender, along with the rest of the roasted ingredients. Pour the stock, coconut milk, and beans straight from the pan into the blender. Blend until silky smooth! (Never use a completely sealed blender for hot food— it needs some ventilation to release hot steam.) Do a quick taste test and add more salt if needed.
Step 5. Pour the creamy cauliflower carrot soup into bowls and top with fresh chopped tarragon and the crunchy sourdough. Season with cracked pepper, sea salt flakes, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
Soup Recipe Notes
Garlic: It’s best to roast the entire head of garlic, although the recipe calls for only half a head. When roasted, the cloves become soft and caramelised, taking away that sharp, pungency bite, which is why you can use so much more of it. Store any leftover roasted garlic in an air-tight container in the fridge covered in extra-virgin olive oil for freshness. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for 1 month. I use air-tight glass containers.
Stock: Any type of stock will work (e.g. vegetable, chicken, or beef), but keep in mind the salt can vary brand-to-brand. If you’re using a stock cube, read the instructions on the box for the correct ratios. I like using Kallo Very Low Salt Organic Stock Cubes and adding my own sea salt flakes, if needed, just before serving.
Coconut Milk: I do not recommend coconut milk from a carton (more of a dairy milk substitute) because it will not create the right consistency for this creamy soup. Full-fat canned coconut milk works best in this recipe. When the can is opened, mix the solid and liquid parts together, then measure out the correct amount for this recipe. I love Biona Organic Coconut Milk because it doesn’t have any preservatives!
Beans: I recommend using cannellini or butter beans. They are mild in taste and colour and they don’t take away from the overall flavour of the cauliflower soup. I use beans from a can/carton because they have already been soaked and cooked. However, always double-check the preparation instructions on the can!
Sourdough: You can really use any type of bread! I love making my own sourdough and adding fennel seeds for more of that sharp aniseed flavour. Rye bread also tastes delicious with this cauliflower soup.
Tarragon: If you’ve never tried tarragon, I highly recommend trying it in this dish. The sharp aniseed flavour really compliments this smooth and creamy soup!
[Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
Seasonal recipes
Cauliflower is in peak season September through November, here in the UK.
If you’re looking for more seasonal recipes, try:
- Pan Seared Gnocchi with Roasted Pumpkin Purée
- Sweet Potato, Orange, and Ginger Soup
- Roasted Tomato and Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
If you tried this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
Creamy Cauliflower Carrot Soup with Tarragon
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 400 g cauliflower or one small head of cauliflower, leaves removed
- 100 g carrot or one medium sized carrot
- ½ onion
- ½ head of garlic
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 500 ml vegetable stock (or 2 cups)
- 160 ml canned coconut milk (or ⅔ cup)
- 100 g cannellini beans (canned in water, drained) (or ½ cup)
- 2 sprigs of tarragon, chopped
- 2 slices of sourdough, to serve (optional)
- sea salt flakes and cracked pepper
- extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Chop the cauliflower into florets and the carrots about the same size. Peel and slice the onion halve in half again and place everything onto a lined baking tray. Slice the top of the garlic head off so that the tops of the cloves are exposed (do not slice the root side). Peel off any loose layers, but make sure all the cloves are still intact. Place onto the baking tray (cut-side down). Drizzle everything with olive oil and toss with ground cumin, ginger, salt and pepper. Place the tray in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Flip half way through for even cooking (keep the garlic cut-side down).
- While the vegetables are cooking, toast your sourdough. Once it’s lightly toasted, slice into small cubes, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Place on a baking tray under the high-heat grill setting (this setting is referred to as “broil” in the US). Toast until extra crunchy. If gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free bread instead of sourdough.
- Add the stock, coconut milk, and canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed in water) to a pan. Simmer on low heat until ready to blend.
- When the vegetables are done in the oven, squeeze out all the garlic cloves— be careful, it’s hot! Use about half of the garlic head and save the rest for later (see notes). Add to a blender, along with the rest of the roasted ingredients. Pour the stock, coconut milk, and beans straight from the pan into the blender. Blend until silky smooth! (Never use a completely sealed blender for hot food— it needs some ventilation to release hot steam.) Do a quick taste test and add more salt if needed.
- Pour the blended soup into bowls and top with fresh chopped tarragon and the crunchy sourdough. Season with cracked pepper, sea salt flakes, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
This recipe was so delicious. I wasn’t sure as to whether I’d be a huge fan because cauliflower isn’t my favourite vegetable. However, I have followed Molly’s foodie instagram page since the beginning and all of her recipes that I’ve tried have been delicious, easy to follow and uses ingredients that most people will have/aren’t too expensive.
I substituted the cannelini beans with butter beans which gave a similar creamy texture and I also substituted the coconut milk with creamed coconut and added water as I went along (this is what I already had at home) which worked nicely.
I will definitely be making this soup again and it will be one of my regular soup recipes. Next time I will try it with coconut milk because the coconut cream made it quite thick!
Keep the tasty recipes coming please 🙂
Thank you, Niamh! I’m so glad you loved it and that the substitutions worked perfectly!