Cauliflower Spinach Soup (Vegan)

This Cauliflower Spinach Soup is so healthy, but it just tastes creamy and delicious. Keep it vegan and top it with crunchy baked chickpeas, or add a drizzle of cream and freshly grated Parmesan. It’s also ready in 30 minutes.

I was going to save this soup recipe for Monday. After I shared a picture of it on Instagram though, so many people wanted the recipe right now. I totally get it too. It’s cold, it’s January (a.k.a. the month of redemption from holiday overindulgence), and who doesn’t love a delicious, healthy soup recipe. I am more than happy to oblige.

This soup tastes even better than it looks. I mean, it looks delicious to me, but I was worried about all the green when I was serving it up for my kids. I thought they’d probably like it, but spinach is sometimes a dinner table trial. I sold them on the first bite with the Parmesan and the Crispy Chickpeas. All it took was that first bite though and then I had a table of believers.

This Cauliflower Spinach Soup is so good!

This Cauliflower Spinach Soup doesn’t taste green. There is plenty of spinach in it, but that’s not the flavor you taste when you spoon up a bite of it. It’s smooth and creamy and mild in flavor. It’s also a vegan soup recipe, almost accidentally. There’s no need for butter or cream when you’re using cauliflower and cashews – combined, they make the creamiest, tastiest soup texture.

The crispy chickpea garnish takes this soup to the next level. I was inspired by this Golden Soup recipe from Pinch of Yum. I made it a few times last fall and it was delicious. I love a creamy cauliflower soup and those chickpeas were pure genius.

I remembered that soup this week when I was standing in front of the fridge for ten minutes trying to figure out what to cook. I had spinach that was starting to get a little wilty and needed to be used. When I spotted the head of cauliflower that had been pushed to the back, I knew what I had to do. The rest is history.

You can keep this Cauliflower Spinach Soup vegan by leaving off the drizzle of cream and Parmesan on top. Whatever you do though, don’t skip the crispy chickpeas. They are so crunchy, so tasty, and they make a creamy soup like this more fun to eat.

Yield: 6

Cauliflower Spinach Soup (Vegan)

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crispy Chickpeas

• 2 (14 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• olive oil
• ground cumin, smoked paprika, and salt

For the Cauliflower Spinach Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped (about 5 cups of florets)
• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
• 5 cups water (maybe more) (see recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. For the Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the rinsed chickpeas evenly over a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with spices and salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Use a spatula or large spoon to gently toss the chickpeas to evenly coat.
2. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until semi-crispy.
3. For the Soup: In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and cauliflower and saute for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cashews and spinach.
4. Add 5 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook until the cauliflower is soft - about 15 minutes.
5. The next step is to blend until completely smooth. I did this directly in the soup pot with a high powered submersion blender. You can also carefully transfer this soup to a blender in batches. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Add additional water for the desired consistency (I like my soup thick and I didn't add any extra water)
6. Serve warm with a sprinkling of the crispy chickpeas and a few grinds of black pepper.
7. Optional toppings: fresh cream, olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan