Foodie Fridays: Southwestern Roasted Cauliflower Chowder

In my opinion, nothing is better for a cold winter day than homemade soup.  When I saw the recipe for Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chowder on the Two Peas & Their Pod website, I knew I had to make my own version.  I consider soup recipes to be more guidelines than instructions, and I decided to make a southwestern-style variation with ingredients I had on hand.

I had no celery, which was called for in the original recipe, but I did have turnips, which I roasted along with the cauliflower.  Instead of cheddar cheese, I used a container of Hatch chile queso blanco dip I had purchased from a local supermarket deli (feel free to substitute a jarred version such as this one if your store does not make its own).  I had some heavy cream to use up, so I added it with some almond milk instead of using regular milk.  My queso dip was quite well seasoned so I left out the herbs used in the original recipe, and since I use bottled minced garlic I cooked it with the carrots and onions instead of roasting whole cloves.

In the end, my version of cauliflower chowder bore little resemblance to the original, but it was quite tasty, if rather spicy (and spicy is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to warming up a cold day!).  I encourage you to come up with your own variation on cauliflower chowder, or follow either my recipe or the original as written, because any way you decide to make it this soup is sure to be warm and satisfying.  And what a great way to eat your veggies!

Southwestern Roasted Cauliflower Chowder

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped (about 24 oz.)
3 medium turnips, peeled and finely diced (about 16 oz.)
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C. butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced (about 8 oz.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C. flour
4 C. vegetable stock
1 C. cream/milk (I used 2/3 C. heavy cream plus 1/3 C. unsweetened almond milk)
10-15 oz. queso blanco dip

Place the cauliflower and turnips on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Roast at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring once.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and carrots and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir.  Cook until the flour is incorporated into the fat and forms a smooth paste.

Pour the vegetable stock gradually into the pot, stirring constantly to make sure no lumps form.  Add the roasted vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the milk and queso blanco dip until the chowder is smooth and creamy.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste if needed.  Ladle the chowder into bowls and serve warm.  Serves 6.