Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
When it’s cold outside, a hot bowl of soup is the best way to warm up on the inside fast. Our recipe for cheesy cauliflower soup is both comforting and delicious. Plus, you can pull it out of your freezer the night before, put it in the crockpot on low in the morning, and enjoy a delicious soup at supper with bread from a bakery – no labor required. How simple is that?
I think soup recipes might possibly be the easiest freezer meal recipe possible. Dump all of the bag into a crockpot, come back four hours later, and your soup is ready to eat. The only added step for this soup is pureeing it with an immersion blender at the end. We have so many great soup recipes, we created this amazing soups and stews freezer meal menu plan. It’s full of fantastic and *easy* meals for the crockpot.
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen cauliflower florets
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup butter
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 3/4 tsp. pepper
- dash salt
For Day of Serving
These ingredients are optional for garnish.
- green onions, sliced
- bacon, cooked and crumbled
- additional shredded cheddar cheese
How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Assembly Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
- Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
Cooking Instructions
- Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge.
- Put it in the slow cooker on low for 4 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Alternatively, you may cook this in the Instant Pot on manual high for 20 minutes.
- Once cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
- Top soup bowls with sliced green onions, bacon, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
Can I freeze cheesy cauliflower soup?
Yes. Freezing anything with cheese may change the texture, however it does not impact the taste.
Why is my soup a darker color than the pictures?
Vegetable broth can be tomato based. If you can, look for a vegetable broth without tomato as the base if you can find one. The tomato flavor will also impact the taste slightly.
I don’t have an immersion blender. What should I do?
If you have a regular blender, you can carefully move the soup into a regular blender to puree it. You can also choose to serve the soup without pureeing it. If this is the option you choose, cut the cauliflower up small enough to easily fit on the spoon. I also highly recommend getting an immersion blender. I use mine all the time!
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup Recipe Ideas
You can add a bit of hot sauce, some red pepper flakes, or ancho chili powder if you’d like the soup to have a little bit of heat.
Add a single, peeled, and diced potato on the day you cook it if you’d like the soup to be just a little bit thicker. The starch in the potato will thicken the soup up nicely without changing the flavor. It does drive the calories up slightly. Raw potatoes don’t freeze well so don’t add until the day of cooking.
Fried ham can be used instead of bacon for a salty, crunchy garnish. If you are in a hurry, you can use store bought bacon bits. Use imitation bacon bits to keep the soup vegetarian.
A handful of baby carrots would add sweetness and color to the soup and puree nicely.
Besides cheddar, you can also use colby jack, a Mexican blend, or pepper jack in the soup.
It’s pretty common to add spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, curry powder (red or regular), cayenne and white pepper to add a depth of flavor and a little kick to the soup.
Heat and reheat this soup gently to avoid curdling.
If you want a soup with the veggies chunky, just skip the step of pureeing the soup. Add carrots or broccoli to the crockpot on the day of cooking. You can add extra minced garlic to increase the flavor depth. It might also need a little extra salt and pepper because of the added bulk from vegetables.
How do I store Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
If you have leftover soup, it stores beautifully in the refrigerator, and dare I say it, gets better with age. It will keep for three or four days. If you want to keep it longer, put it in the freezer, where it will keep up to six months. Individual servings will take maybe five minutes to thaw in your microwave and the soup can also be thawed or reheated on the stovetop. You do not have to thaw the soup from frozen before heating it.
What to Serve with Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
This delightful soup can be served with a crusty bread, sourdough, rolls, or Hawaiian sweet rolls for the perfect combination. A garden salad or fruit salad would work well for contrast. Sliced watermelon is a nice touch to any light meal like this. For a more filling, higher calorie meal, you can serve the soup with a sandwich.
- 4 cups frozen cauliflower florets
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup butter
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 dash salt
-
Place all the ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
-
Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge.
-
Slow cooker on low for 4 hours or on high for 3 hours.
-
Alternatively, you may cook this in the Instant Pot on manual high for 20 minutes.
-
Once cooked, use an immersion blender to blend the soup.
-
Top soup bowls with sliced green onions, bacon, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
