Winter may be winding down but I am still enjoying hearty soups and this Smoked Cauliflower Soup With Brussel Sprouts + Bacon might be my favorite of all time. I recently served it when my husband’s parents were visiting and it received rave reviews. If you like cauliflower, brussel sprouts and bacon you are going to love this soup. With a substantial garnish you can take a simple soup and turn it into a main course.
I am a huge fan of roasting brussel sprouts halved or quartered in the oven. But, for this this recipe I took each little spout and peeled the leaves off one by one and then cooked them in a cast iron skillet. I know it sounds time intensive and it is but I promise the end result is so worth the work. Because I used the brussel spouts as garnish I wanted to make sure they were light and crispy so they didn’t sink to the bottom of the bowl. By cooking them in a cast iron skillet you can control how brown they become, whereas the oven tends to dry out the leaves or burn them. Top the brussel spouts with a little bacon and this soup is good to go!
This soup can easily be made autoimmune protocol, vegan or vegetarian. Instructions below. Enjoy!
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups of filtered water (use less water if using a small head of cauliflower, water should just cover cauliflower)
- 1 bag fresh brussel sprouts
- 1 tsp + ⅛ tsp smoked sea salt
- 4 pieces of bacon (omit to make vegetarian + vegan)
- 1 Tbsp ghee (omit to make autoimmune protocol + vegan)
- Peel and onion and garlic and chop.
- Add onion and garlic to a pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sautee about 10 min or until the onion is translucent.
- Chop cauliflower and add to pot along with 6 cups of water (adjust as needed based on size of cauliflower head).
- Boil for 30 min or until cauliflower is soft.
- Lay 4 pieces of bacon on a baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees until crisp. This takes about 10-20 min. Flip and reposition pieces on the pan as needed.
- While the cauliflower and bacon cooks wash and peel leaves off brussel spounts. To do this cut off the bottom piece and peel. You can chop as well if you find this easier.
- Add peeled brussel sprouts to a cast iron skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil.
- Stir constantly on medium high until brussel sprouts caramelize and brown. Remove from skillet, sprinkle with ⅛ tsp smoked seat salt and set aside.
- Once cauliflower is cooked add mixture to a blender with ghee, 1 tsp smoked sea salt and blend on high until smooth. You may need to do this in two batches.
- To serve scoop into 4 bowls and top with brussel sprouts and bacon.