When it rains and you get soaked, or you’ve had too much take-out lately, it’s time to ingest something nutritious and warming. This quick cauliflower soup recipe is just the ticket. There’s nothing fancy about it. And it takes no time at all. Use it to start off a meal, or buy some crusty bread for a light dinner. You can also take the soup with you in a thermos for lunch at work.

Please note: use less milk for a thicker soup, more for thinner. And homemade broth greatly improves the flavour, not to mention food value.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 cups
Ingredients:
•1 Tbsp. butter, plus 2 Tbsp. for optional garnish
•1 or 2 onions depending on size, roughly chopped
•1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
•2 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 head cauliflower, chopped
•2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
•1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste
•1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to taste
•1 to 2 cups low-fat or whole milk
•2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley, optional

Preparation:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter. Add the onions and salt. Stir occasionally and adjust heat so onions cook but don’t brown. They should look a bit creamy after 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the cauliflower, stir to combine, cover and cook 3 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook the soup until the cauliflower is tender to the bite, about 10 minutes.
3. Purée the soup with a hand-held blender. Or, whirl in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Do we have to say this? I suppose. Any Mensan would place a kitchen towel over the blender to prevent splashing and burns.)
4. Stir in the pepper and nutmeg. (Note: At this point the soup may be cooled, covered, and frozen for up to 4 months.)
5. Add the milk and cook over medium-low heat until the soup is hot. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or nutmeg to taste, if you like.
6. Meanwhile, if you want to add the parsley butter swirl, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and stir in the parsley.
Serve the soup hot, with a swirl of parsley butter, if you like.