Leek and Cauliflower “Green Meanie” Soup

Name: Leek and Cauliflower “Green Meanie” Soup
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 105 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 pieces Leeks (3 leeks); 1 piece Cauliflower (1 head cauliflower); 6 pieces Celery (6 6 stalks celery); 8 oz Baby Spinach (8 ounces baby spinach); 2 tsp Chicken Bouillon (2 teaspoons chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon or 1 bouillon cube); 1 stick Unsalted Butter (1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)); 2 tbsp Kosher Salt (2 tablespoons kosher salt); 2 tbsp Black Pepper (2 tablespoons ground black pepper); 32 oz Chicken Stock (32 ounces low sodium chicken stock); 2 cup Heavy Cream (1 pint heavy cream (or half and half)); 0 pieces Sour Cream (Sour cream, optional) — optional; 0 pieces Parsley (Chopped parsley, optional) — optional

A creamy, pureed American soup made by sweating leeks, spinach, cauliflower, and celery with butter, then blending with chicken stock and heavy cream.

105 minAmerican

Servings4

Add to grocery list

Plan it in the app to put it on your week.

Vegetarian
Pescatarian

Steps

1Prep. Chop the leeks (white and light green parts only) into 1 inch (25.4 mm) pieces and soak in a large bowl to remove the dirt between the layers. Chop the cauliflower into small florets and the celery into small pieces. Unless it’s prewashed, add the baby spinach to a colander and give it a good rinse.
2Dissolve the Better Than Bouillon (or bouillon cube) into 2 cups (473.2 ml) of water and set aside.
3Cook. Add the cleaned leeks, spinach, butter, and half the salt and pepper to a large Dutch oven. Stir, then cover with the lid cracked slightly open, and sweat down over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4After 20 minutes, have your little helper add the chicken stock and the dissolved bouillon.
5Bring the mixture to a boil and add the cauliflower, celery, and the remaining salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the cauliflower is tender, an additional 20 minutes, having your little helper stir occasionally.
6Blend. When the cauliflower is fork tender, begin blending the vegetable mixture with an immersion blender until completely smooth. You could also blend the soup in a countertop blender with the center of the lid removed to avoid a blowout. Return the blended soup to the Dutch oven.
7Turn the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the heavy cream. Have your little helper continue to stir for about 5-10 minutes.
8Serve. Ladle your soup into a bowl and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped parsley or cilantro if you like. Serve with crusty bread or crackers. You could even serve this soup cold if you like.
9*Cauliflower Smoking Option. Add more flavor to the soup by pre-smoking the entire head of cauliflower. Fire up your smoker to 225-250°F (107.2-121.1°C) with some mild fruit wood like apple or cherry. Smoke low and slow for 1 hour, or just enough to get some good smoke adherence on the outside of the cauliflower. Proceed with the recipe. Final cooking will occur when the cauliflower is added to the soup.