Three ingredients. No cream. No tricks. Just cauliflower and a whole head of roasted garlic — caramelized until nutty and sweet — blended with broth into something that tastes way richer than it has any right to. Adapted from Ali Slagle's Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup on NYT Cooking — we swap water for broth for extra depth.
Soup
- 2½ pounds cauliflower (1 very large head), cut into 1-inch florets, leaves reserved
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 head garlic
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth (we use broth — Ali uses water, both work)
Shoutout to Ali Slagle for the original — this is one of those recipes that proves restraint is a skill:
Heat the oven to 425°F. On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower florets and leaves with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut off the top ¼ inch of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place it cut-side up on a piece of foil, sprinkle the exposed cloves with salt, and drizzle with a little oil. Wrap the garlic in the foil and set it on the sheet pan alongside the cauliflower.
Roast until the cauliflower is browned and tender and the garlic is soft and fragrant, 30 to 35 minutes. Don't rush this — the caramelization is where all the flavor comes from.
Meanwhile, bring 6 cups of broth to a simmer in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Reserve about 1 cup of the roasted cauliflower florets for the topping. Add the rest to the pot, including any browned bits scraped off the sheet pan. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins directly into the pot. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
Off the heat, use an immersion blender to purée until completely smooth. If it's too thick, add more broth. If it's too thin, simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes to tighten it up. (It'll also thicken as it cools.) Taste and season with salt.
Serve topped with the reserved roasted cauliflower, a good drizzle of olive oil, and a heavy crack of black pepper.
