Roasted Corn & Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Corn & Cauliflower Soup
Colder weather will be here soon, so it’s time to start thinking about soup as a main course for weeknight dinners! This soup is vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, and easy to prepare from scratch. There are four main ingredients — kernels from four or five ears of corn, a head of cauliflower, coconut milk, and vegetable broth — and I like to add some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper when roasting the vegetables. I've been asked why I roast the vegetables before adding them to the blender, and there are 3 main reasons for this: 1) Roasting the corn and cauliflower caramelizes them so that the vegetables take on a rich brown color. Water leaves the cauliflower and corn as steam, which helps intensify the nutty flavor of the cauliflower and the sweet flavor of the corn. 2) I can be doing something else while the vegetables are roasting in the oven — setting the table, making a salad, or creating a new vegan dessert! 3) Cleanup is a breeze because I roast the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and when the roasting process is complete all I have to do is tip the baking sheet over the blender — the veggies go into the blender, the parchment paper goes into the garbage can! (Note: I love to serve this soup with a nice warm kale dish like my Kale & Pine Nut Stir Fry.)
Ingredients
- 4-5 cobs of corn, (husked, kernels removed)
- 1 head cauliflower, (cut into bite-sized florets)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper, (to taste)
- 1 (14oz) can full-fat coconut milk, (room temperature)
- 2 cups vegetable broth, (+ more for thinning)
- Parsley, (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the corn kernels and cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and toss with oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Roast the mixture for 30 minutes.
- Once the corn and cauliflower are done roasting, add half the mixture to a blender along with half of a can of coconut milk (shaking can well first) and 1 cup vegetable broth. Blend until smooth and transfer to the pot. Repeat with the second half of the mixture.
- Pour the soup into a large pot and heat through, adding more broth if needed to thin it out further.
- Garnish with parsley.
Cathy
To short-cut this, can it be made with frozen corn and frozen riced cauliflower?
veggiecurean
Yes, fresh is preferred. But, frozen works well too. Enjoy! Do share how it comes out.