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–+ servings

Cauliflower Soup with Green Olive Salsa Verde

5 | 8 reviews
This plant-based cauliflower soup is creamy, hearty and layered with flavor, thanks to the spices and a drizzly, fresh salsa verde that goes right on top. It's incredibly simple, especially if you have an immersion blender on hand, and it's one of my favorite vegetable-packed soups to eat during the colder months!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cauliflower soup:
  • 1 large cauliflower head, 2 pounds after removing the greens
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1/2 lemon, peeled and chopped, seeds removed
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 6 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or 6 1/2 cups water mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained
For the green olive salsa verde:
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower greens
  • 1/2 cup pitted green olives , such as Castelvetrano
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 large lemon, for juice
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste + for serving

Instructions 

  1. Begin the soup. Cut the cauliflower into florets, thinly slice the onion, grate the 3 garlic cloves and slice the peel off of 1/2 of a lemon, chop it finely.
  2. Set a dutch oven over medium heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add in the lemon, 1 1/2 teaspoons each of ground coriander, cumin, and oregano, plus 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the onion, cauliflower, garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, it's quick because most of the vegetables will end up cooking in the broth! Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Pour in the 6 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, it may not fully cover the florets, but that's fine, they'll decrease in size as they cook. Cover the pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
  4. While the soup is simmering, prepare the salsa verde. Add 1 cup of parsley, 1/2 cup of cauliflower greens, 1/2 cup pitted green olives, 2 garlic cloves, juice from the whole lemon and 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Pulse this in a food processor until combined, then add the olive oil and mix again. Taste and season as needed.
  5. Now that the soup has been simmering, add the can of white beans and use an immersion blender to blend up 2/3 of the soup, until smooth and creamy. (For ultimate creaminess, you can blend the white beans and soup together in batches in a blender on the side, this is a bit more work, but it's my preferred method).
  6. To plate, portion the soup into bowls and drizzle the salsa verde on top. Add a drizzle of olive oil, some black pepper, and enjoy warm with crusty bread!

Notes

Above is the updated recipe for this Cauliflower Soup with Green Olive Salsa Verde. For the original recipe that was first developed in 2023, please see below.
Serving: 13 ouncesCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 9gFat: 14g