Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Clean your cauliflower and leeks well. Cut the cauliflower into florets and slice the leeks into 1/4 inch slices. Put them into a bowl. Toss the cauliflower and leeks with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the leeks and cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut the ends off of the garlic cloves, but leave them in the skin. Place garlic cloves on a small piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil, then wrap the foil into a packet around the garlic. Place the garlic in the oven with the cauliflower and leeks. Roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cauliflower and leeks and keep the garlic in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Toward the end of the roasting time, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute them for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add the roasted cauliflower, leeks, chicken broth, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. When the garlic is done roasting, allow it to cool slightly then squeeze it out of the skin into the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 20 minutes.

Take the pot off of the heat. Add the cream and Parmesan cheese. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a blender and puree the in soup in small batches. Make sure to remove the plastic center of the blender lid to allow the steam to release. Cover with a kitchen towel to avoid splatter. Blend, then serve.