Cream of Mushroom Soup

    I used to eat cream of mushroom soup a lot back in the day. 
    Then (whenever it was) I started trying to eat less soup in a can, I just sort of forgot about this soup. So sad. 
    But, I started thinking about it again recently, and having had such good luck making my other soups with a cauliflower base (faux-tato soup, & roasted red pepper soup) I suddenly realized I could have been eating cream of mushroom soup all this time! What wasted time! 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients: 

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into chunks
• 2 heads of garlic, tops cut off, skins on
• 1 large onion, quartered
• Olive oil (as much as needed/desired)
• Salt & pepper
• 2-4 tbsp butter or ghee
• 2- 8 oz (227g) packs of mushrooms, or 16oz loose, sliced (or diced, if you prefer smaller pieces of mushroom in your soup)
• 1 tbsp Rosemary (optional, but ya really should)  : ) 
• 8 cups stock (broth) -I used beef

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place the cauliflower into a baking dish, add the onion, and the garlic (cut side up)
3. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
4. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until cauliflower is tender, and garlic is starting to bulge from it's skin *See the note below if you don't want to roast*
5. Meanwhile, in the pot you want your soup to end up in, over medium heat add the butter, and add mushrooms. Sauté until they start to get some colour & are getting fragrant. Remove from heat until you are ready. 
6. Once the cauliflower, onions and garlic are finished roasting, let them cool for 10 minutes, then add them to a blender (or food processor), and add small amounts of broth and puree the whole lot. I used about 4 cups to properly puree the cauliflower mix. If you have an immersion blender, put them into a deep bowl (or another pot), and puree. 
7. Add the cauliflower puree to the pot with the sautéed mushrooms, and add remaining broth little bits at a time until you have a consistency you want. I wanted mine thinner, so I used the full 8 cups, but 6 or 7 cups would be good too, and would make a thicker soup. 
8. Warm back up, and enjoy, seriously, I mean it-enjoy! :)  

 
*You can also steam the cauliflower if you want. Simply place in a pot, add enough water to cover half way, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn it down, and let it simmer 5-7 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Add the onion and garlic to the mushrooms to sauté. 

 
​    We've been enjoying a lot of soup with this fantastically cold, snowy, wintry weather! I'm fairly sick of shovelling our driveway, but I am not sick of soup! 

   I used the leftovers to make a meat & potato casserole with potatoes, meat, cheese, and this soup, which is so tasty, simple to make, and really customizable!