Cauliflower and cheese soup is tender and tasty. Even if you are not a fan of vegetables or first courses.
It can be prepared in the winter, using frozen cauliflower, but from fresh it turns out to be especially tasty!
Cooking puree soup with cauliflower and cheese does not take much time, so this soup can be a good option when you need to quickly cook dinner.
No one will remain indifferent, because it is useful, easy to prepare and is perfect as a dinner for the whole family.
The benefits and harm of vegetables
"Curly" vegetable is incredibly useful - because it retains many useful properties when cooking. It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, PP, minerals - potassium, calcium, cobalt, chlorine, sodium, zinc, magnesium, iron and amino acids - malic, lemon, tartronic.
Biotin, also known as vitamin H, helps skin and hair to remain beautiful, as well as relieves depression and strengthens the nervous system.
Frequent use of cauliflower is recommended for people suffering from disorders of the gastrointestinal tract such as:
- constipation;
- hemorrhoids;
- digestive problems.
With its frequent use, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, and excess cholesterol is eliminated.. This useful product is indicated for patients with diabetes mellitus and even prevents malignant growth of cells in the body.
Due to its low calorie content, the product is widely used in a balanced diet to save weight or lose weight. There are only 28 kcal per 100 grams of which:
- proteins - 1.6 g;
- fat 0.5 gr;
- carbohydrates - 4.9 grams.
A representative of this vegetable culture perfectly burns fat, due to its high fiber content, and suppresses hunger for a long time. However, there are contraindications to use. People suffering from gout, gastritis with high acidity and with acute bowel disease should refrain from its use.
Classic recipe
Now, consider a step by step recipe for cooking delicious soup.
We will need:
- Cauliflower head.
- 1 onion.
- 2 medium carrots.
- 3 potatoes. It should be noted that the more cabbage, the less need other vegetables. If the weight of the head of cabbage is 500 grams - put 3 potatoes, if 800 grams - two are enough.
- 50-100 grams of grated cheese.
- salt, pepper, spices to taste.
- For starters, prepare all the ingredients.
- Rinse the cabbage well;
- to separate the inflorescences from the rough legs and leaves;
- cut if they are large;
- other vegetables - peel, wash under running water and chop;
- chop the onion in half rings;
- carrots and potatoes - chop into cubes;
- cheese grate on a coarse grater.
- Inflorescence placed in a saucepan with salted boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes. If you plan to make a puree after cooking, cook a little longer, if you leave the pieces as they are, take no more than 10 minutes to do this.
- Checking for readiness - the plug should easily pierce the inflorescences - fold it in a colander.
- Put a thick bottom on the fire and pour in a little sunflower oil or melt a small piece of butter - so the taste will be softer.
- Send onion roasting, and when it becomes transparent, add carrot and potato cubes. Stew vegetables for about 5 minutes - during this time the carrot will give juice.
- Then pour 1.5 liters of water. To make the food really healthy, it is better to use filtered or pre-settled water for cooking. Then, when the boiling process begins, cover with a lid, reduce the heat a little and cook until ready. It takes less than half an hour.
- In the resulting broth put inflorescences.
- Add grated cheese.
- Salt, pepper, you can pour your favorite soup seasonings with Provencal herbs, hops-suneli, well-suited dried basil, freshly squeezed garlic.
- Let it boil and cook for another couple of minutes. The dish is ready!
Other options
Chicken broth
For greater satiety, try cooking with chicken.
To do this, you need 300-400 grams of poultry meat. You can use the breast, legs and thighs. With a breast dish more dietary, but it tastes a bit dryish, unlike the legs.
- Wash the meat, put it in a saucepan.
- Add the whole onion, and cook for at least an hour.
The taste will be richer if the chicken is not cut before cooking.
Do not forget to periodically remove the foam, so that the soup turns out to be transparent golden.
- After an hour, remove the onion, cut the bird into pieces, remove the bones (if you chose the legs) and start adding the rest of the ingredients in the order already described above.
More details about cooking the first dish of cauliflower with chicken can be found here.
Cheese Cream Soup
Delicious creamy soup-puree is obtained after adding cream, with a fat content of at least 10%. Usually for uniformity, the cooked ingredients are ground using a blender.. At the last stage, when all the products are already laid out, pour in 100 ml of warm cream and cook for 5 minutes.
Creamy soups are best cooked at one time and not stored in the refrigerator for more than a day. However, they are so tasty that they do not stagnate for a long time.
With melted cheese or Roquefort
A good combination to the "first" will be:
- Cream Cheese. It is sold by sachets and single-piece records. At 1.5 - 2 liters of broth will take 6 squares. Put them a little earlier and make sure that they completely dissolve.
- Roquefort. It is often called blue. Add along with cauliflower, as it needs a little more time to melt than the usual rubbed. About 150-200 grams of sliced pieces will go to the pan.
Learn more about how to cook the most delicate cream soups with cream here, and a few recipes for light and hearty mashed soups can be found here.
With mushrooms
Another great option for a healthy lunch. Soup with mushrooms and cauliflower takes a decent position in the field of first courses. Its rich taste and accessible ingredients make it even more attractive among other first courses, and the delicate taste of cream soup will not leave anyone indifferent.
You need 200 grams of champignons - this is 5-6 pieces. They must be well washed, cut lengthwise and cook at the very beginning - along with the onions. Mushrooms are a source of protein and, by its quantity, replace meat, which makes food more nutritious.
Serving dishes
Serve should be in a deep plate with a spoon of sour cream (if cream was not used during cooking). For decoration, you can chop fresh herbs - green onions, dill, parsley. If you make a soup-puree, then do not chop a few inflorescences, using for contrast.
Conclusion
If you have never tried this "first" - then it's time to fix it, especially since almost all products are always in the fridge. Cheese soup perfectly diversifies your family dinners and will appeal to all family members.. Choose your favorite option or try everything one by one.