We thought it would be fun to start having some recipe themes here on Food Apparel once in a while. And hence we hereby declare this week: SOUP WEEK! We can do that, right? Well, just did, so go celebrate!
Soup is so versatile. If you have a basic understanding of the different soup bases that you can start with, the sky is really the limit! We’ll try to hit up a few of the basics this week, and I’m sure we’ll have to do some follow up recipes later because really…..can you get enough soup?
This Cheddar Cauliflower Soup recipe is inspired by Zupa’s Wisconsin Cauliflower soup, but is so much better to me. I mean, what copycat recipe doesn’t seem to taste just a little better homemade with the freshest ingredients? This is a great example of a cream-based soup and cauliflower is a great vegetable to help with the creaminess factor. This soup is always a hit when served to guests, simple to make and tastes way more indulgent then it actually is. Not to mention it is fairly inexpensive to make!
Just a quick note: Sharp cheddar makes all the difference here! I wouldn’t recommend using any form of milder cheddar because it may lack in flavor (or maybe it will still be good. But definitely won’t reach it’s full potential). If you wanna be even wilder and kick it up a notch, Extra Sharp would do the trick. Do it. I dare you.
Cheddar Cauliflower Soup (Zupa's Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 head cauliflower, approximately 1 and 1/2 pounds cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
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Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Whisk in flour and salt.
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Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water.
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Add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat.
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Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. (Be careful how high you have the heat here as it tends to boil over easily with the milk.)
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In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape),or with an immersion blender, blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.
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Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally.
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Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth.
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Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.
Recipe Notes
Change it Up:
Try mixing this up by adding pepperjack cheese instead of cheddar.
May use more or less mustard according to taste.
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Holy smokes this is good! A friend of mine here in Sac found your blog through the guest post, and said she made this soup like 3 times she loved it so much. I tried it tonight. Awesome! You might be seeing this soon… 🙂 PS I love zupas, I miss it!
Thanks Karen. Such a sweet compliment. Christina is a little preoccupies but I will let her know you loved it!
This is one of my favorite soups and I just did a variation with roasting the cauliflower and using extra sharp white cheddar. It is also delish! I’ll share soon.
Love it. I was uncertain how creamy it would be, but I was very satisfied, even with just 1% milk. One comment–SISTER would say be careful with the Dijon mustard. I put 1 1/2 tsp, since I love it, and it almost overpowered the soup. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Britany – so glad that you liked the soup! And we are kinda mustard fiends around here as well – so good point for someone who’s not such a fan. Using a super sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese helps with the flavor balance, but yes, I think I will make a note that if you are not a super mustard lover that people may want to start with last and use to their taste. Thanks for the input!