Weeknight supper delight: Potato and cauliflower soup

Happy Monday friends!

I am ALL about the soups lately.  The weather around here has been CRAZY COLD! (well, for Seattle that is, like 35 degrees).  But still, nothing like some hot soup to warm up our spirits and make our small apartment smell divine.

My most recent attempt was a creamy potato and cauliflower soup (recipe found here).  Oh man, this was tasty.  Like the soup version of mashed potatoes!  yum.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, and I would highly recommend it:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound cubed peeled baking potato (about 2) 
• 1 pound cubed Yukon gold potato (about 4)
• 5 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1/2 head)
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray 
• 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free fromage blanc or sour cream
• 2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup) 
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. 2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, thyme, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
3. 3. While potatoes simmer, combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, cauliflower, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray; toss to coat. Roast at 450° for 30 minutes or until browned, turning once.
4. 4. Place cauliflower mixture and milk in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour cauliflower mixture into a large bowl. Add half of potato mixture to blender; pulse 5 to 6 times or until coarsely chopped. Pour into bowl with cauliflower mixture. Repeat with remaining potato mixture. Place cauliflower-potato mixture in Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup green onions, and fromage blanc; stir until fromage blanc melts. Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Top evenly with remaining green onions, cheese, and bacon.

This one is really great, because it's definitely more on the healthy side than most potato soups.  The cauliflower gives it a creaminess without having to use any cream.  Thinking I'm gonna try cauliflower and potato mash next, and see if it's as good without cream and butter!

Got any good soup ideas or recipes for me to try????  I'm just dying to try some new ones!

Trish