Creamy, blended spinach cauliflower soup that is nourishing, loaded with veggies and flavor with lemon and cayenne to brighten it up. This is the perfect soup recipe for cold winter days! Paired with crusty bread and a side salad, it makes for an excellent wholesome lunch.
This frigid weather has me obsessed with soups! I just can’t seem to get enough of warm drinks and foods after coming in from the bitter cold. This spinach cauliflower soup is the perfect light option to serve as an appetizer, to accompany a sandwich for lunch, or in a larger portion as a main course with a hearty salad and some crusty bread.
The puréed cauliflower acts as a thickener and the addition of lemon and cayenne complement the subtle spinach flavor in a way that really adds some pep to what otherwise could be just another boring veggie-based meal. I guarantee you that this soup is anything but boring!
Even as the creator of this recipe, I admit that I was a little surprised at how well the ingredients ended up coming together and couldn’t stop eating of it. And it’s so light, there’s no need to limit yourself and getting seconds, or thirds (or fourths, let’s be honest here) is completely acceptable.
Check out my collection of creamy soups and stews for more recipes like this! If you’re on a real spinach kick, I have a simple sautéed spinach recipe that is a simple, elegant side dish that comes together in just 15 minutes!
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“SO MUCH FLAVOR. I WILL MAKE THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN! THANK YOU!!”
-Mary
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple with the bulk of the soup coming from blended cauliflower, spinach and broth. The magic is in the spices.
Onion and minced garlic cloves get sautéed as aromatics before fresh parsley, thyme (dried or fresh), lemon and a pinch of cayenne are added in. Season with salt and black pepper and you’ve got yourself a tasty soup!
How to Make the Soup
- Heat coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer.
- Add cauliflower and broth and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium-low and simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
- Add spinach, parsley, lemon juice, cayenne, and purée with an immersion blender until smooth (2-3 minutes usually). Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust other seasonings (cayenne and lemon) if desired.
- Garnish with additional parsley, thyme, and/or a drizzle of coconut milk or heavy cream if desired.
Don’t have an immersion blender? No problem, just pour the soup into a blender to puree. You can work in batches to get it all creamy and smooth. Then combine the puréed soup back into the main pot and give it a quick stir to mix it all back up together.
The prep works is easy since all you really need to do is roughly break up the cauliflower into florets, chop an onion, sauté, simmer, add a few more items, and then blend. This makes this spinach cauliflower soup not only a healthy soup option, but also a quick weeknight dinner.
During the simmer stage, you have just enough time to make a side salad or get some oat flour biscuits prepped and in the oven. Even if you let the soup simmer a little longer than the recommended 20 minutes, cauliflower is pretty forgiving in this recipe since it’s ultimately puréed.
For the final step, add the remaining ingredients and blend with an immersion blender, season and serve!
Storage and Freezing
Store cooled leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for u[ to 4 days. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Make sure to leave a little room at the top for the soup to expand while freezing.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Make things easy on yourself by using a bag of pre-chopped cauliflower and pre-washed spinach.
- Want it creamier and more filling? Add 2 potatoes cut into 1″ pieces and add along with the cauliflower. This bulks it up and makes it a little more filling!
- Make sure to season appropriately with salt and pepper. It sounds like basic advice but in a simple recipe like this, proper seasoning is necessary for all of the components to come together.
Blended Spinach Cauliflower Soup with Lemon and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic about 3 medium cloves
- 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into 1-2" florets (about 3-4 cups or a 12-16 ounce bag of pre-cut florets)
- 6 cups spinach loosely packed, about 4 oz.
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh
- Salt and pepper to taste *I use low-sodium broth and normally need to add 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper)
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer.
- Add cauliflower and broth and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium-low and simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
- Add spinach, parsley, lemon juice, cayenne, and purée with an immersion blender until smooth (2-3 minutes usually). Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust other seasonings (cayenne and lemon) if desired.
- Garnish with additional parsley, thyme, and/or a drizzle of coconut milk or heavy cream if desired.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Cauliflower and spinach came in the produce pack last week and needed to be used, and voila, this recipe arrives in my inbox! Super easy to make and it’s a “brothy” soup disguised as a “creamy” soup due to the blending. The lemon and wee kick from the cayenne felt wonderful on my bit of a sore throat. I did serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt just to look boujee!
Oh good! That makes me so happy to hear! Cauliflower and spinach can turn people off but in a soup like this, its really so comforting. Perfect for the illness that hit us all this time of year.
I’m counting calories now….so I tried this. It was so yummy! I stirred in a tbsp of 1% sour cream before eating. This is incredibly satisfying guilt-less food!!
Awesome!! So happy it turned out well for you! I love the idea of adding sour cream too! 🙂
SO MUCH FLAVOR. I WILL MAKE THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN! THANK YOU!!
That’s great news! Happy it turned out so well for you! 🙂
looks great. will have to try