Oct 27, 2016

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup Topped with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
This roasted garlic cauliflower soup is blended until creamy and topped with a toasted breadcrumb and pancetta topping with pepitas.
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This creamy roasted garlic cauliflower soup is perfect for cooler temperatures. I try to keep an assortment of healthier soups on rotation during fall and winter and I recently added this soup with its deep, delicious flavors to my arsenal.

For this soup I roast the cauliflower to bring out the nutty flavors and then pair it with roasted garlic and just a bit of cream to thicken it. The garlic is roasted until golden brown. It’s milder than raw garlic and it becomes buttery and soft. The caramelized and almost sweet roasted garlic adds depth to salad dressings, mashed potatoes, pastas or in this case, soup.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs in pumpkin staub cocotte

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

  • Cauliflower – For the best tasting soup look for a head of cauliflower that is firm with tight florets and no yellowing. The head is broken down into florets which are first roasted to add more complex flavors to the soup. Roasting the cauliflower adds a nutty flavor to the soup.
  • Garlic – For a tutorial for roasting garlic, check out this video here. The cloves become soft and easily spreadable with a more mellow garlic flavor.
  • Pancetta – Pancetta comes from pork belly and is salted, seasoned, cured and aged for an extended period of time. Pancetta is similar to bacon in flavor though not as smokey. It can be substituted for bacon, speck or guanciale in this recipe. The rendered fat from the pancetta is combined with butter to toast the breadcrumbs.
  • Pepitas – While the pumpkin seeds you remove from the pumpkin are white and thin, pepitas are green and small and while they are indeed pumpkin seeds they only come from certain pumpkins that don’t require shelling, namely oilseed or Styrian pumpkin varieties.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

trimmed heads of garlic
Step 1: Wrap garlic. 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Peel the loose paper away from the heads of the garlic and discard. Trim about ¼” – ½” off the top of the garlic to expose the garlic cloves. Drizzle the garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap the heads of garlic in aluminum foil.

Step 2: Prep cauliflower. 

Toss the cauliflower florets in 2 tablespoons (28g) of olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Add the garlic to the pan.

cauliflower head cut into florets
heads of roasted garlic
Step 3: Roast cauliflower and garlic. 

Roast until the cauliflower is tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Return the garlic heads to the oven and continue to roast until the cloves are soft when pierced with a knife, about an additional 15 minutes.

Step 4: Sauté onions. 

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.

sautéed yellow onions
simmered cauliflower in broth with thyme
Step 5: Simmer soup. 

Add the roasted cauliflower, thyme and wine, simmering until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, simmering for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Step 6: Blend soup. 

Let cool slightly then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the skin into the soup. Puree the soup in batches using a blender or an immersion blender.

blended cauliflower soup
cauliflower soup finished with cream
Step 7: Finish with cream. 

Return the soup to the pot and keep over medium-low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly stir in the Parmesan until the cheese is completely combined.

Step 8: Cook pancetta. 

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

diced crispy pancetta
toasted breadcrumbs
Step 9: Toast breadcrumbs. 

Leave about 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and turn down the heat to medium-low heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan stirring to combine. Let cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. 

Step 10: Mix topping. 

Remove to a small mixing bowl and stir together with the pancetta, parsley and pumpkin seeds.

Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumb topping
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs
Step 11: Assemble and serve. 

Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls and top with the crispy pancetta and toasted breadcrumb topping.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Swaps and Substitutions
  • The breadcrumb topping adds a great texture and flavor but can be omitted for a more simplified version of this soup recipe.
  • Omit the breadcrumbs to make this soup gluten-free.
  • Steamed cauliflower can also be used though I prefer the complex flavor of roasted cauliflower in this soup.
How to Make this Recipe Vegetarian

To make this recipe vegetarian omit the pancetta from the crispy breadcrumb topping and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

How to Store Leftovers

This soup easily reheats for leftovers or can be frozen in resealable bags for later. Store the cauliflower soup separately from the pancetta and breadcrumb topping. Add the soup to resealable bags or airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a week and frozen for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat Soup

To reheat the soup I recommend adding it to a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through. The soup can also be added to microwave safe bowls and reheated in 30 second increments, stirring after each. until warmed through.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs in pumpkin staub cocotte

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this creamy cauliflower soup recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup with Pancetta and Toasted Breadcrumbs in pumpkin staub cocotte
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the roasted garlic cauliflower soup:

  • 3 medium heads garlic
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets, about 1½ pounds of florets
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion (about ½ a medium onion)
  • 4 sprigs thyme, tied with twine
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the crispy pancetta and toasted breadcrumb topping:

  • ½ cup diced pancetta
  • 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon diced chives
  • 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Instructions:

For the roasted garlic cauliflower soup:

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
  • Peel the loose paper away from the heads of the garlic and discard. Trim about ¼” – ½” off the top of the garlic to expose the garlic cloves. Drizzle the garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap the heads of garlic in aluminum foil.
  • Toss the cauliflower florets in 2 tablespoons of olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Add the garlic to the pan.
  • Roast until the cauliflower is tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Return the garlic heads to the oven and continue to roast until the cloves are soft when pierced with a knife, about an additional 15 minutes.
  • Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the roasted cauliflower, thyme and wine, simmering until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, simmering for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
  • Let cool slightly then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the skin into the soup. Puree the soup in batches using a blender or an immersion blender.
  • Return the soup to the pot and keep over medium-low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly stir in the Parmesan until the cheese is completely combined.

For the crispy pancetta and toasted breadcrumb topping:

  • Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
  • Leave about 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and turn down the heat to medium-low heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt.
  • Add the breadcrumbs to the pan stirring to combine. Let cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove to a small mixing bowl and stir together with the pancetta, parsley and pumpkin seeds.

To serve:

  • Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls and top with the crispy pancetta and toasted breadcrumb topping.

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  1. 5 stars
    This was pretty time consuming, but oh so worth it. One of the best soups our family has had in a long time! Perfect for fall/winter. Thanks!!