‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond Urges You Make Her ‘Decadent’ Cheesy Cauliflower Soup: ‘So Tasty and Comforting’
The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond loves to make soup throughout the year, using a bounty of vegetables from her garden to create healthy main dishes. One of these is a cheesy cauliflower soup Drummond urges fans to make, that is “decadent,” according to the Food Network star, and “so tasty and comforting.”
Ree Drummond says this is a favorite family recipe
Drummond wrote in a blog post on her Pioneer Woman website that this particular soup was a favorite of her family growing up, including her brother Mike, sister Betsy, mom Gerre, and dad Bill.
The Food Network revealed that her mother Gerre made cauliflower soup during her Oklahoma childhood.
“A cheesy play on the cauliflower soup my mom has always made. So tasty and comforting,” she wrote.
Drummond followed that statement with the following message.
“Yesterday, I made a cheesy version of my mom’s cauliflower soup because the weather outside, while still beautiful, has been barely chilly enough to trigger the I NEED SOUP NOW mechanism in my central nervous system,” Drummond claimed.
“A creamy, comforting soup just sounded good to me. It’s simple, flavorful, and slightly rich, but not crazily. And it has cauliflower in it. And that’s reason enough for me. Cauliflower is my boyfriend right now,” she concluded.
The key ingredients in Ree Drummond’s Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
When pureed, Cauliflower has a sweet and creamy consistency that lends itself perfectly to soups and as a stand-in for meat when left in whole pieces.
Drummond’s version of her mother’s soup adds several ingredients that amp up the delicate flavor of the vegetable.
The base recipe includes onion, one head of Cauliflower, pepper, low sodium chicken broth, butter, flour, milk, half and half, sour cream, parsley, and salt.
Drummond’s additions to the recipe take it over the top.
These extras include bacon, cajun spice, and Monterey Jack Cheese.
How to make ‘The Pioneer Woman’ Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
This soup recipe is about layering ingredients to achieve a tasty and satisfying result.
Begin by preparing the soup in a large pot. Add bacon and fry until crisp. After cooking, remove bacon from the pot and drain on a paper towel, removing the grease but leaving whatever remnants are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Sauteing the onions in the leftover bacon fat and pieces adds a burst of flavor to the vegetable. Then, add the cauliflower, Cajun spice, and black pepper, sauteeing until browned.
Pour in the chicken broth and cook the Cauliflower until tender.
One can use either an immersion or standard blender to puree the soup to the desired consistency. It can either be velvety smooth or slightly chunky, whichever you prefer.
Use a separate pan to melt the butter, adding flour to form a paste, followed by milk to create a white sauce. Add to the soup to thicken.
Stir in sour cream, parsley, and salt to taste to finish off this delicious and beautiful-looking soup.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with bacon pieces and parsley.
The complete recipe for Ree Drummond’s Cheesy Cauliflower Soup can be found on the Pioneer Woman website.
The Pioneer Woman airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. EST on the Food Network.
