Charred Cauliflower and Navy Bean Soup

This cauliflower soup is so velvety and creamy, you would never know that it is vegan! I feel a bit silly posting this recipe considering how simple it is, but I absolutely love how it comes out. We get our weekly product box, and sometimes there is a lot of a particular vegetable. That was the case for cauliflower two weeks ago. Rather than letting the excess cauliflower go bad, I decided to make Charred Cauliflower and just keep it in the fridge until I could think of what to do with it. You could make this soup by sautéing, steaming, or blanching the cauliflower, but I do think that that char adds a depth and savory note to the soup. The Navy beans provide a great texture, and also add some protein so that the it is more filling. I'm looking forward to eating a lot more of this soup as we enter Fall!

Ingredients

1 medium size head of cauliflower (~2 lbs), roasted (see Charred Cauliflower recipe)

1 15-ounce can of Navy beans (you can substitute Cannellini beans or Great Northern beans)

4 cups vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

lemon (optional)

mint leaves, cut into ribbons (optional)

Directions

1.  Prepare the cauliflower (see Charred Cauliflower recipe for photos and details): Preheat the oven to 500 F.  Cut the head of cauliflower into florets and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread the florets in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment or a Silpat.  Roast at 500 F for 8 minutes.  Flip the florets over and roast for an additional 4 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Optional: put aside a few of the florets to garnish the soup before serving.

2.  Rinse and drain the Navy beans.

3.  Place the charred cauliflower, navy beans, and 3 cups of stock in a blender.  Blend until smooth and creamy (no pieces of cauliflower or beans).  Pour this into a large pot.  Add the remaining cup of stock to the blender and blend (this helps dissolve what is stuck to the sides of the blender).  Add this to the large pot.

4.  Place the pot over medium heat, and bring the soup to a boil.  Let this boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

5.  Serve hot with an optional twist of lemon and mint leaves.