Cauliflower & Cannellini Bean Soup with Brussels Sprouts “Croutons” (ve, gf)

As soon as the weather starts cooling down, I get super excited for soup season. Growing up, winter or summer, it was rare the dinner that wasn’t preceded by a small bowl of soup. And even now, as an adult, no food feels more comforting than soup. So much so that this is actually my fourth soup recipe here. I’ve previously posted a Winter Squash, Carrot & Ginger Soup, a Comforting Miso Broth and this Green Goodness Soup.

This recipe uses courgette which is high in vitamins A and C (great to support immunity this time of the year), cauliflower rich ion antioxidants which have been associated with slowing down cancer growth and cannellini beans which contain a good amount of protein and fibre as well as minerals like folate and magnesium. To boost the nutritional value of this recipe, instead of regular bread croutons, I topped this soup with roasted Brussels sprouts. Despite being only tiny, Brussels sprouts pack loads of vitamin K and antioxidants which prevent cell damage.

The best thing is that this recipe comes together in just 30 minutes and uses only a handful of ingredients making it a great speedy dinner or the perfect addition to your weekly meal prep. It’s velvety creamy and the nutty flavour of the Brussels sprouts pairs really well with the subtlety of the cauliflower and beans.

• Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

  • 1 onion

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1 medium courgette

  • 1 medium cauliflower head

  • 2 cans of cannellini beans

  • 2lts good quality vegetable stock (you might not need all)

  • 200g Brussels sprouts

  • 3tbsp olive oil

  • 1tbsp toasted sesame oil

  • 1/2tsp garlic powder

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Trim, peel and roughly dice the onion. Peel the garlic cloves. Trim and peel the courgette and dice. Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and chop into small florets.

  3. Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sautée for 5 minutes on low heat until it’s translucent but not brown.

  4. In the meantime, bring a kettle to boil. Trim the Brussels sprouts, remove any old outer leaves and halve. Boil in a medium pan until they are cooked but retain some bite. Drain once cooked.

  5. Add the remaining veg to the large pan and stir well before covering with stock. Add just enough stock to cover the veg so the soup doesn’t become too watery. You can always add more later.

  6. Bring to a boil and simmer until the veg are soft.

  7. Toss the Brussels sprouts into a tray with the remaining olive oil and toasted sesame oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly charred.

  8. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the veg pan.

  9. Blend into a creamy soup. If it’s too thick you can add more stock at this stage until it reaches a consistency you like. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.

  10. Serve the soup topped with the Brussels sprouts “croutons”, freshly ground pepper and an optional drizzle of olive oil.

Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your recreations.