Cauliflower Cheese Beer Soup

Cauliflower Cheese Beer Soup ~ The marriage of cauliflower-cheese soup and beer-cheese soup into one delicious pot full of golden goodness. I wanted one bottle of beer.  One bottle.  But I wanted a very specific brand (see below) and for those I had to go to the state liquor store to acquire.  However, they did not allow me to buy a single bottle, I had to buy a six-pack.  What is a non-beer drinking girl to do with the 5 extra bottles?

Luckily, three were consumed by friends who popped over, leaving me with two. One went into the soup and now, one sits all alone in the fridge, so I suppose I better think of something else to use it in.  But it won’t go bad, so I am in no hurry.  Wait, is beer like wine; it only gets better with age?

When making the soup, I used extra sharp white cheddar, which is a personal favorite. Use your favorite cheddar. Beer cheese soup is something I have wanted to make for while, as is cauliflower cheese soup, so I decided to just combine both into one extraordinarily delicious soup.

I am so glad I did. The cauliflower is completely neutral in this, you’d not really go “oh, I am eating a bowlful of pureed cauliflower.” It truly provides a fantastic base and buoys the nutrition in the dish. I ended up with this fantastic Cauliflower Cheese Beer Soup. 

Cauliflower Cheese Beer Soup

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American Fusion

Author: Michelle De La Cerda

Cauliflower Cheese Beer Soup ~ The marriage of cauliflower-cheese soup and beer-cheese soup into one delicious pot full of golden goodness.

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter; divided 1:2
• 2 ribs of celery; chopped
• 2 carrots; chopped
• 32 oz . broth
• 1 head cauliflower: chopped
• 2 cloves garlic; chopped
• 12 oz . cheddar cheese; grated
• 12 oz bottled beer
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8-1/4 tsp black pepper and salt; all to taste
• 1/4 cup flour

Instructions

1. In a large pot, saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the butter and oil for 3 minutes.

2. Toss in the cauliflower and allow it all to cook together for an additional 3 minutes; stirring minimally, allowing the cauliflower to get some color.
3. Once the veggies have softened, add the broth, making sure to pull up all the stuck on bits at the bottom of the pan.
4. Boil until the vegetables are soft and easily puree-able; less than 10 minutes on medium high.
5. Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, puree until smooth. If using an immersion blender, remove the pureed soup from the pot, place it in a bowl and set aside.
6. In the pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until smooth.
7. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure the roux is fully incorporated into the liquid.
8. Turn heat on to medium and return the soup back to the pot, mix well.
9. Add the beer, Dijon, paprika, 1/8 tsp of salt and pepper. Stir well.
10. Bring the soup to low simmer and slowly, by the handful, add the grated cheese and stir until it is melted and incorporated. Repeat until all the cheese as been added.
11. Once all the cheese has been added, taste for salt and pepper, add more if needed.
12. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes and serve.
13. Garnish with parsley, bacon, croutons, or more cheese if desired.

Thank you for sharing!