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Quick Notes: This is by far my favorite soup. I really have tried a million different recipes trying to get close to the flavor of Zupas before finally coming up with my own. This one really does come pretty damn close, guys.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 2 cups chicken (or veggie stock)
- 3 cups of milk
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Optional:
- bacon and cheese for topping, but it's not necessary for this recipe. It's great meatless.
Instructions
- Cook the cauliflower until it's soft. I don't care how you get there. boil it, steam it, instant pot, whatever. Get the cauliflower soft.
- Once the cauliflower has cooled enough to handle, add it to a blender with 1 cup of your chosen stock. Pulse blend it. You're not trying to annihilate it. If you over blend it, you're going to get kinda a weird grainy texture to your soup. Blend it until it's about two blends away from being baby food, but don't go full baby food, k? Set aside.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the garlic. Saute together for about 2-3 minutes.Â
- Whisk in the flour to make a roux.Â
- Whisk the remaining cup of stock in, and whisk until the roux and the stock become one. It should be kinda gravy-ey.Â
- Turn the heat down to medium, and slowly whisk in your milk a cup at a time. Allow it to get steamy, but it should not simmer. If it is starting to simmer, turn it down.Â
- Add your cheese just a bit at a time, and quickly and thoroughly whisk until it's completely melted in before adding more cheese. This is probably the most time-consuming part but if it's not done correctly you can really fuck up your soup. Be patient with the cheese-ing process.
- Once all the cheese is melted into the soup, whisk in your cauliflower stuff from the blender along with the heavy cream and onion powder. Allow the soup to cook covered for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.Â
- Serve.Â