Cold Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Croutons

Show: Episode:

Picture of Cold Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Croutons Recipe Photo: Cold Cauliflower Soup with Bacon and Croutons Recipe
Rated 5 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 18 Reviews
Total Time:
3 hr 0 min
Prep
15 min
Inactive
2 hr 0 min
Cook
45 min
Yield:
4 servings
Level:
Easy
x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please limit to 20 characters

Saving Recipe

Adding Recipe

Or Do Not Add

Success

This recipe was saved to your Folder_Name folder.

x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please sign in to save this recipe to your Recipe Box!!

25 Characters Max

Enter Time:

:
:

You can create up to five timers

Ingredients

Croutons:

  • 1/2 loaf sourdough bread (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, optional

Bacon:

  • 10 to 12 strips thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon (about 1 pound)

Soup:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped to yield 3/4 cup
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 head cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

For the croutons: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the thyme on top and season with the salt and pepper if using. Toss until coated. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the bacon: On another baking sheet, arrange the bacon in a single layer. Bake until browned and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, chop into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

For the soup: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, shallots, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth, thyme and cauliflower. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

In batches, puree the soup in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cool the soup to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.

Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and garnish with the croutons and bacon.

Cook's Note: The soup can also be blended using an immersion blender.

Print Recipe

Browse Reviews by Keywordnew!

Loading review filters...

COMMENT ON THIS PROJECT

    

Sign in

All fields are required.

E-mail Address:

Password:

Remember me on this computer

Signing in

Please enter your email address and we will send your password

E-mail Address

Your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon.

Not a member?

Sign up for My Food Network to share photos, show off your style, and connect to an enthusiastic and helpful community.

It's free and easy.

Review This Recipe

You must be logged in to review this recipe.

Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 18 reviews

  • on February 24, 2013

    Flag

    Lovely low-carb option without the croutons!

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on November 08, 2012

    Flag

    I have very picky eaters in my house but I decided to give this a try after hearing Giada say it tasted just like potatoe soup. She wasn't kidding! I am not a fan of cold soup so I served it hot and it was so delicious!! Definately became a family favorite...and a sneaky way to get my boys to eat cauliflower! Well done Giada!

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on August 27, 2012

    Flag

    I don't normaly like cauliflower so I'm not sure what prompted me to make this but I'm glad I did. Wonderfully flavorful soup and very easy to make. Minimal prep time and still, a major WOW factor in flavor. Interestingly, I followed the recipe from Giada's weekday meals cookbook, which presented the dish as a hot soup. Here it is clearly labled as a cold soup. Either way it's delicious...but I prefer it hot. I added a chopped leek with the other vegetables for extra flavor. Like most good soups, the flavors improve with time. Some chopped chives sprinkled in with the bacon and crouton garnish adds extra visual appeal. The recipe states it yields 4 servings. I've had three servings so far and it looks like there's a good four more servings to go.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Next Recipe

Advertisement

What's Hot

Iron Chef America

Hosted by: Alton Brown

Free Recipe of the Day Newsletter

Let Food Network chefs plan what's for dinner, with quick and easy recipes delivered to your inbox daily.

Ads by Google

© 2013 Television Food Network G.P. All rights reserved.