As I wrote in my last post, I’m really working on sticking to my Keto diet, and so far, so good. With the wintry weather we’ve been experiencing the past few weeks, I wanted to find a new Keto recipe to prepare for some friends coming over for lunch.
I didn’t have to look any further than Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan, which I also mentioned recently. So, I have to say this right from the beginning that this is probably one of the best soups I’ve ever made, and my friends raved about it. One even took some home. Slow Cooker Loaded Cauliflower Soup was amazingly easy to prepare with just nine ingredients (not including salt and pepper). Although Suzanne suggests using precooked bacon or bacon crumbles as a shortcut, I used regular (hickory smoked) bacon slices and that smokiness added a great depth of flavor you don’t get from precooked. That being said, I did try another shortcut, and that was using frozen cauliflower florets, which I thawed overnight. I thought they worked great! I would like to mention that one of my friends said he usually doesn’t like cauliflower much, but if I hadn’t told him what was in the soup, he would have guessed potato cheese soup instead. Of course, a serving of Potato Cheese Soup (from a recipe on the All Recipes website) is loaded with 37.1 carbs, while Suzanne’s tasty Cauliflower recipe has 6 net carbs, or about 84% less carbs per serving. Since my Nutritionist from Johns Hopkins wants me to try for about 30 carbs per meal on my modified Keto diet, I was able to have two servings of this very filling soup, with plenty of room for a sugar-free low carb desert. I really hope you’ll give this cauliflower soup recipe a try before the weather warms up.
Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup (cook time 4 or 8 hours, yielding 10 one cup servings) 10 slices bacon 2 large or 3 small heads cauliflower (I used two 16 oz. bags of frozen cauliflower florets, thawed overnight) 4 cups chicken broth (I used no salt variety) 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups) 3 cloves garlic, pressed 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish (I used extra sharp) 1 cup heavy whipping cream Salt and Pepper Snipped green chives or sliced green onions for garnish (I used green onions) 1 Fry bacon in large skillet over medium heat until cooked. Remove from pan and chop. Set aside in refrigerator. 2 Core heads of cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into florets. Place florets in a food processor and chop into small to medium sized pieces. Do not rice it! If using frozen, put frozen pieces into food processor and chop as noted above. 3 In a large slow cooker (Suzanne used 5 1/2 quart slow cooker), combine chicken broth, onion, garlic, butter and cauliflower. Stir, cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. (I cooked mine on low for 8 hours) 4 Once cauliflower is tender, switch the slow cooker to "keep warm" setting and use whisk to stir and mash the cauliflower into a smooth consistency. (I used my immersion blender which gave the soup a wonderful consistency). 5 Add about three quarters of the chopped bacon, the cheese and the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well until the cheese is melted. 6 Serve hot and garnished with additional cheese, the remaining bacon and chives/green onions, if desired.
When I first started cooking soups many years ago, my mom taught me to always prepare soup the day before you intend to serve it, which allows all the flavors to blend together. When making this recipe, I followed my mother’s wise advice, and I’m sure it made this delicious and hearty soup all the better! Enjoy!
