Cauliflower Chowder
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A creamy, low carb, hearty and cozy soup, loaded with so many good-for-you veggies. Perfect for those chilly nights!
I have been making a lot of cozy soups to get us through these chilly nights. But instead of making my usual carb-loaded chowders that I love so much, I tried something a little bit lighter and a little more hearty. After all, Spring is officially here, sweater season is slowly coming to an end, and bikini season will be here before you know it.
Now I’ll be honest – I was very skeptical about using cauliflower in place of potatoes, but boy, was I in for a treat.
The cauliflower is an amazing low-carb substitute here, and it’s really such a perfect way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters. And to balance out all that veggie goodness, I just had to add some crisp bacon bits because at the end of the day, bacon just makes everything a thousand times better.
Either way, this is one cozy, hearty soup that the whole family will gobble up with zero complaints, promise!
Cauliflower Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat in the stockpot.
- Melt butter in the stockpot. Add garlic, onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barely crisp-tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth and milk, and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower are tender, about 12-15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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I didn’t use flour, used 1 cup heavy whipping cream, a few tablespoons of cream cheese and velveeta, a sprinkle of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Huge hit on a cold, rainy, fall day in MI. My husband loved it! So did I! Definitely adding to my fall and winter menu. Thanks for the recipe!
Easy and delicious
I added a bit of cayenne and thyme. So yummy!!!
I have made this soup several times and just love it. It is so versatile. We don’t do white potatoes at all anymore because of my husband’s diabetes and we both really missed potato soup. This really was amazing and actually tasted like a good potato soup. I have adjusted it for different occasions sometimes adding in some chicken or cheddar cheese. I also have used half and half instead of milk to make it creamy without using flour. Just really a great recipe!
This soup was perfect for a cool summer day! Easy to make and delicious! We also topped with cheddar cheese.
I make this all the time! I modify it, to not include the bacon and add matchstick carrots in with the onion and celery.
Was this recipe modified? I hadn’t made it in a while, but I know there was, and the picture shows carrots. Those are added in with the celery and onion? Thanks. I love this soup! I’ve shared with so many!!!
I thought so too Steph!
I think she did change it a bit! I’ve been making this for a while and I swear it had carrots. I am making it tonight and without looking at the recipe I bought carrots.
Yes, the original had carrot. I had to search my Facebook posts lol 2014 my pic definitely shows carrot.
Made this tonight for dinner. So yummy and easy to make
This soup is delicious! I made it for my husband and I for lunch along with sandwiches. It was even good the next day. I will make it again. Thank you!
Loved this recipe. A hardy soup made out of a favorite veggie at my house. Definitely a keeper!
Can leftover soup be put in the freezer?
Yes, freezes really well. I use the Ziploc round soup containers and thaw and heat in the microwave.
This was great! Using the bacon fat for cooking the onions, celery and garlic was a great touch!
This is a real winner. Everyone in the family loved it. Some cauliflower versions of dishes can be underwhelming in the flavor dept., but this can out wonderfully tasty. I had a few leftover potatoes on hand that I cubed and added as well.
I made it according to the recipe
but added a little thyme. It turned out great, next time I will use a potato masher to have smaller chunks. Then use my immersion blender less so it has a little texture.
DELICIOUS!!! I just had it for lunch and topped it with steamed asparagus!!!!!
I’ve made this recipe a ton, as written and with adjustments. Always a crowd pleaser and my man’s favorite soup no matter which way I make it. I still add carrots even though the updated recipe doesn’t call for them. Most times I also add curry powder at the same time I add in the flour. I skip the bacon and use almond milk. We prefer it blended with the immersion blender.
Wow! So tasty! I skipped the bacon but did use some bacon fat I had in my fridge. Used better than bouillon for the broth. My cauliflower was a bit small so soup was looser than it probably should have been but oh so delicious! Will definitely make again an again!
Do you have any nutritional stats for this soup? Thanks.
I have made this recipe several times, and it is delicious. I have shared it with others, and they love it too. I always make it as written, perfect as is.
So good! Added some carrots, used almond milk and pureed it leaving some chunks for texture. Tastes like potato soup (-: Will make again.
Made this and it was great. Actually tastes like a potato soup. We have taken potatoes completely out of our diet so this is really a great replacement. The only thing I changed was I added a cup and a half of white cheddar cheese and reduced the amount of flour. Also after I used the immersion blender I took half and put in my vitamix blender and really pureed that then put back in with the rest. It made it really creamy. This can be used in so many ways. Excellent! Family loves it.
Easy peasy and so VERY delish! Will definitely make it over and over. Thank you!