Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup
on Sep 24, 2018, Updated Jul 08, 2024
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This Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup is so thick and delicious that you’ll forget you’re eating soup. A low-carb alternative to potato soup, but just as satisfying thanks to the Italian sausage, pesto and Fontina cheese piled on top!
Fall has officially started and that means soup season has started back up. Although, if you’re like me, soup is always in season. For probably half the summer I would make a big batch of vegetable soup in my slow cooker on Sunday so I could have it for lunch throughout the week.
Soup can be tricky to serve as a main dish for dinner. So many of them out there don’t keep you full for very long. This Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup is not one of those.
For a soup to keep me full it needs to have protein in it. Whether it’s plant based protein such as beans or meat, like the chicken sausage used in this recipe. I also find that a creamy, thick soup seems more satisfying than a broth based soup.
My husband is tricky when it comes to serving soup for dinner. What I mean by that is, he doesn’t consider soup a meal. There better be a sandwich or piece of chicken to go along with it. However, this Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup was an exception.
Since the soup is not only creamy and thick, but topped with crumbled Italian sausage, fontina cheese and pesto, it suddenly doesn’t look so much like soup. This was especially true with his bowl because I put A LOT of sausage and cheese on his. By the time he mixed it all in, it resembled a stew more than a soup.
I’m also pretty sure he had no idea it was cauliflower. He’s not the foodiest of guys, especially when it comes to vegetables.
If you’re following a low-carb diet, or just love cauliflower like I do, this is a great alternative to potato soup. You’ll still get that thick creamy texture like you do with the spuds, but with a fraction of the carbs. Enjoy!
More Creamy Soups
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 2 links Italian chicken sausage casings removed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped leeks
- 3 cloves of garlic grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 8 cups chopped cauliflower florets and stems
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 3 tablespoons pesto
Instructions
- Add the chicken sausage to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through using a wooden spoon to crumble it as it cooks. Remove the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate.
- Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet along with the leeks. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add in the spices and garlic and sauté another minute.
- Add in the cauliflower and chicken stock, stir everything together and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Simmer to 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender.
- Scoop or pour the mixture into a blender (half at a time if needed). Remove the center piece of the blender lid to allow the steam to escape, then blend until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in the half-and-half.
- Serve the soup topped with crumbled sausage, fontina cheese and drizzle with pesto.
