Without a speck of milk or cream, we achieve a creamy consistency in this pureed soup. The magic happens thanks to cauliflower, which blends easily to silky perfection. We opt for cauliflower rice here for a couple of reasons: because it cooks quickly and because it’s typically made from the stems, which have a slightly richer flavor than the florets. We also used water as the liquid instead of vegetable stock—because the latter tends to darken and discolor the soup.
Ingredients
4 sprays cooking spray
4 oz uncooked sweet onions, finely chopped (1 cup)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds uncooked cauliflower rice
3 cups water, divided
2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Add cauliflower rice and 1 cup water. Cover pan, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Scrape mixture into a blender. Add remaining 2 cups water, thyme, salt, and pepper. Blend on high speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. Pour soup into pan and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated, about 1 minute (or puree soup in pot using an immersion blender). Garnish with additional thyme and pepper.