Cauliflower “Baked Potato” Soup

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from pan to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside to drain. Once bacon has cooled, give it a rough chop and set it aside.

Remove all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the Dutch oven. Sauté chopped onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion turns translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add cauliflower florets, chopped carrots and potatoes. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften, about 4–5 minutes. Add garlic, salt to taste and pepper and stir constantly for 1 minute.

Turn heat to medium-high and add chicken stock and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 13–15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, remove about 2/3 of the vegetables from the broth. Place them in a large bowl and set aside. Add cream cheese to the broth in dollops and purée the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender. If using a regular blender, purée the soup in batches.

Whisk in Greek yogurt until mixed well. Stir in about 3/4 of the chopped bacon.

Stir reserved vegetables back into the soup along with onion powder, garlic powder and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Place the soup back on the stove over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture up to a slow simmer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are heated through and cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of remaining shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions and chopped bacon. Makes 8-10 servings.

Notes:
1. You can also use leftover cooked potatoes in this soup. Rather than cooking potatoes with the cauliflower and carrots, add 1/2 cup of the leftover cooked cubed potatoes to the broth before puréeing it, then add the rest to the soup along with the reserved vegetables. I use about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cooked cubed potatoes total.
2. You can also make this a creamy soup by cooking the vegetables longer and puréeing all of them in the broth. Add the vegetables in batches when you blend them to be sure the soup is smooth.

Recipe adapted from Supermarket Healthy by Melissa D’Arabian.