I am having a complete writers block as I’m writing this post. This might largely be due to our upcoming Punta Cana trip or the fact that I still have to go to work tomorrow. Not quite sure why I didn’t take Monday off, but I surely wish I did. Then I could have been writing about how happy I am to be on vacation already. I am pretty sure both Kurt and I overpacked our suitcases. On our last trip we bought too many souvenirs, aka tequila. At the airport our luggage was about 20 lbs over the limit. Kurt had to run to the airport kiosk and buy a crappy and extremely overpriced little bag on wheels that we were able to check in as my carry on without paying an arm and a leg for oversized luggage. It’s probably wise I take out some of the shoes I packed.
Anyways, on to the soup.
Sometimes things really do taste better with bacon. We don’t usually eat a lot of bacon in my house, but sometimes I like to add it to vegetable based soups for extra flavor. A little bit goes a long way, so I only used about 5 slices for an entire pot.
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower & Fennel Soup with Bacon
Author: Kathy Steger
Serves: 6
- 1 entire cauliflower head, cut into small florets
- 5 bacon slices, cut into thin strips
- 1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup fat free half and half
- salt & pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast cauliflower and fennel for 20 minutes until golden.
- In a Dutch oven, saute bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Drain most of the bacon fat leaving about 1 tablespoon, add onion, carrots and garlic. Saute until softened.
- Add herbs, roasted cauliflower and fennel, top with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy consistency.
- Add half and half. Season with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy.
3.2.1682
XOXO
