roasted cauliflower soup

Roasted cauliflower soup is not high on my list of favorite foods, namely because it's because not pizza, chicken salad, Taco Bell Crunchwraps or chocolate milk.

But my farmer came up with a tricky way for me to eat it . . . and other fruits and veggies too. 

And that's something for a girl who would live on dairy and carbs if she could. 

He told me that for every day that I ate my allotted servings of fruit and vegetables, we'd put a dollar in our vacation savings fund. 

So naturally I am now eating bananas and apples and squash and sweet potatoes like they're the only food left in the world . . . 

as well as roasted cauliflower soup. 

To be fair, while this soup features an entire head of cauliflower, it also includes milk, cream and bacon fat so . . . maybe I really just liked it because it DIDN'T taste like a vegetable. 

Hmmm. 

Here's the deal: If you like potato soup, or chowder, or anything a little heavier and creamier, this soup is for you. 

And me. 

Even though I don't even really like vegetables. 

And that's saying something. 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Yield 6-8 servings

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and diced

3 T vegetable oil

6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups chicken broth

1 T fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese

For roasted cauliflower: Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine cauliflower and oil, stirring to combine. 

Place cauliflower on prepared pan. Bake until cauliflower is browned, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. 

For soup: In a large cast-iron Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, and let cool. Crumble and set aside. Reserve rendered bacon fat in pan. 

Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring often, until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add roasted cauliflower, broth, thyme, salt, black pepper, nutmeg and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 

In a container of a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to pan. Add milk, cream and cheese. Cook over medium heat until soup is heated through and cheese is melted. 

Garnish with bacon and cheese.