Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

Well, it's been awhile, but for good reason.  I was a tad busy due to the wonderful fact that Mark and I were married on Sunday, Nov 21st!  I'm working on a post about the celebration which included craft beer, delectable food (beer and cheese pairings, among other things), but in the meantime, I want to share this heart-warming soup.  A pleasant diversion from the more traditional potato and leek soup, I opted for cauliflower, instead of the traditional spud.

To bring out the nuttiness in the cauliflower, I roasted it first with shallots.  Then I sauteed the leeks in butter and olive oil, adding the cauliflower/shallot mixture once the leeks were softened.  The uniqueness of this soup comes from the spice - garam masala.  This spice is typically used in Indian cuisine and is a combination of several pungent spices mixed together. 

After cooking in chicken broth for a bit, you can puree the soup to your liking.  Sometimes I go smoother, and other times I leave some chunks.  Leave the preference up to your palate and enjoy. 

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup


1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
Cooking spray 
2 TBL olive oil
3 TBL butter
2 leeks, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground pepper
6 cups chicken broth
salt to taste


Preheat over to 500*.  Place chopped cauliflower and sliced shallots on a cookie sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Roast for 15-20 min or until lightly browned, tossing the mixture at least once while roasting.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add leeks and saute for about 10 minutes, or until they soften.  To the leeks, add the cauliflower mixture and the chopped garlic.  Saute for another 5 minutes and then add the garam masala and pepper.  Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. 


Remove soup from heat and blend soup with an immersion blender or hand mixer until it reaches the desired smoothness.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.