Creamy white bean cauliflower soup

The white beans and cauliflower give a lovely creaminess to this soup.

Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (can cannellini beans (white kidney beans) (See Note)
• 6 cups (1½ L) vegetable broth
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Red pepper flakes, optional, to taste

Topping

• Canola oil, for frying
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1½-3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup capers
• Sour cream, for serving
• Finely chopped parsley, for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Add in the butter and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes just to soften.
2. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into small florets and dice the stalk. Add the cauliflower into the pan along with the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes just until the vegetables start to pick up some colour. Stir in the kidney beans and carefully pour in the vegetable broth.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and, using an immersion blender or a stand blender working in batches with the vent cap open, puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, and chili flakes and place over low heat to keep warm while you prepare the toppings.
4. Heat 1.2cm (½ inch) of canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towel and set aside. Separate the rings of the shallots and add to a small bowl along with cornstarch, to cover. Toss to coat then remove the shallots from the cornstarch, dusting off as much excess as possible. Carefully add them to the oil to fry just until lightly golden brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to the paper towel lined baking sheet and season immediately with kosher salt.
5. Dry the capers off with paper towel and add to the oil to fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until frizzled looking, then transfer to the paper towel lined pan.
6. Serve the soup topped with a spoonful of sour cream, a scattering of crispy shallots and capers, some parsley, and black pepper.

Note

• To make this soup vegan, swap out the butter for olive oil and omit the sour cream for serving.

• Mary uses a 540 ml can, which is not a common size in Australia. Use about 1½ standard (400-420g label weight) Australian cans of beans, or to taste.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.