Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup

5 from 1 vote

This cauliflower potato leek soup is hearty, velvety smooth, and flavorful! Enjoy it with crusty bread or a side of parsnip chips!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: Cauliflower leek potato soup, cauliflower potato leek soup, leek potato cauliflower soup, Potato leek and cauliflower soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 458kcal

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion
1-2 jalapenos
2 tsp black peppercorns
½ cup olive oil (divided)
2 cups heavy cream
1 large fennel bulb
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper
3 large leeks
2 garlic cloves
2 medium russet potatoes
4 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp dried thyme
1-2 bay leaves
2.5 oz shallot & chive Boursin cheese
4 slices bacon
1 Tbsp fresh chives

Instructions

Start by roughly chopping a yellow onion and 1-2 jalapenos, then add them to a pot along with black peppercorns and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Allow the ingredients to sweat over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until onions start to become slightly translucent. Add in heavy cream and bring to a light simmer for about a minute. Cover and turn off the heat, then set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the bottom off of the fennel bulb and discard along with the green fronds and any bruised pieces. Slice the bulb in half, then into thin wedges.
Toss fennel wedges along with sliced cauliflower florets in a bowl with 4 Tbsp olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and white or black pepper. Assemble on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven at 400° F for 10-20 minutes. Flip the pieces, then roast for another 10-20 minutes.
Slice off the bottom of the leeks and the thick green leaves and discard. Cut the bulb in half and rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt that might be trapped between the layers. Place cut-side-down on a cutting board and thinly chop.
Add to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute for 5-10 minutes or until leeks lose about half their volume. Add in minced garlic cloves and toast for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add roasted cauliflower and fennel to the pot, along with peeled & chopped potatoes, chicken broth, dried thyme, and 1-2 bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove bay leaves then use an immersion blender to blend until your desired texture is reached.
Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the chunks from the cream. Press with a wooden spoon or ladle to squeeze out as much of the cream as possible. Mix the infused cream into the soup along with Boursin cheese and stir over low heat until consistent. Discard the onion mixture.
Fry a few slices of bacon and crumble over plated soup to garnish, along with chives and/or fennel fronds.

Notes

It's okay to roughly chop the onion & jalapenos because we'll be straining & discarding them after allowing the cream to infuse with their flavor.
I like mine smooth, but if you want to maintain some of the texture you can blend half the soup and maintain the chunks in the other half.
I used 1 large fennel bulb and the flavor was very mild. You can use 2 bulbs if you want it to be more of a prominent flavor.

If you want to add more texture to your leek potato & cauliflower soup you can reserve some of the sauteed leeks or separately boil & dice a potato and mix it into the soup at the end.

Top with thinly sliced fresh jalapeno if you like a little heat!

If the soup is too thick, you can add 1-2 cups of water or broth to thin it out.

You can never go wrong with some fried baguette or toasted sourdough bread on the side (or your gluten-free bread of choice).

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.

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