Roasted Cauliflower Corn Chowder
This creamy Roasted Cauliflower Corn Chowder is precisely what is in order on a cool, crisp fall day. Roasting the cauliflower creates a delicious layer of flavor that pairs perfectly with sweet corn, crispy bacon bits, and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 largehead cauliflower (cut into florets (approximately 5 cups))
- 3 tablespoonsolive oil (divided)
- 6strips bacon (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 cupdiced white or yellow onion
- 1 cuppeeled and diced carrot
- ½ cupdiced celery
- 2 teaspoonsminced garlic
- 1 teaspoonsalt, (plus additional to taste)
- 1 teaspoondried thyme
- 4 cupslow-sodium chicken broth
- 1bay leaf
- 1 ½ cupsmilk (i used 2% reduced fat)
- 1 cupfresh or frozen corn
- ⅓ cupshredded parmesan cheese (plus additional for garnish)
- fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
- fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)
Directions
- 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place cauliflower florets on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast cauliflower for 30 to 35 minutes until fork tender and golden brown.
- 2
Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over MEDIUM heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a plate and set aside.
- 3
Pour off most of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving behind about 1 tablespoon. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for several minutes, stirring often until vegetables have softened. Add minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and thyme and cook just until garlic is fragrant.
- 4
Add roasted cauliflower and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to LOW, tuck bay leaf into soup and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- 5
Remove bay leaf and use an immersion blender to purée slightly, leaving some of the cauliflower chunky to add texture to the soup. Alternately, you can carefully transfer about ¾ of the soup into a blender and purée until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Add puréed soup back into the pot.
- 6
Stir in milk and corn. If using frozen corn, there is no need to thaw it first. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes or until milk and corn are warmed through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, fresh ground black pepper, and half of the cooked bacon.
- 7
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with reserved bacon, fresh parsley, and additional cheese.