Soup and a Fish Sangwich in a Hurry

I was thinking of my Nana today when making this cauliflower soup. She used to make the best pasta with cauliflower and the smells of this reminded me of her house when she made that. She used to always call Sandwich...Sangwich and that always cracked us up as kids. Tonight's meal was simple, quick and perfect for a weeknight meal. The soup recipe was inspired by William-Sonoma's recipe. My changes to their recipe are in red, mostly I tried to add flavor and lower the fat & sodium by eliminating the salt, heavy cream and using skim milk and bread to thicken. For the original recipe, click HERE.

Cheddar and Cauliflower Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 head cauliflower, about 2 1/2 lb., cut into florets
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
2 tsp. Freshly ground pepper, more to taste
8 oz. white cheddar cheese,
2 slices of crusty bread diced
Salt, to taste


In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cauliflower, garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove about 1 cup of the cauliflower to add back in later. Add the broth, milk and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Add in the bread cubes and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until the bread is thoroughly soaked. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to a fine puree, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted and well combined with the soup. Add in the reserved cauliflower. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve immediately with toasted bread. Serves 6 to 8.


The soup had great flavor, but the texture was a little odd. I think using the heavy cream would have fixed this...but not worth the calories and fat for a weeknight meal.

I served this soup with grilled fish sandwiches. I took fresh wild caught perch, sprinkled it with a little old bay and sprayed with my MISTO olive oil sprayer and broiled it for about 7 minutes, 3.5 minutes on each side. Served on fresh sesame seed rolls with lettuce, tomato, cheddar and homemade tartar sauce.