🥘 Ingredients
- raw cashews 1 cup
- fresh thyme sprigs 8-12
- large fresh rosemary sprig 1
- bay leaf 1
- extra virgin olive oil for stovetop, see Note 1 1 ½ tbsp
- large yellow onion 1
- garlic cloves 4
- low-sodium vegetable broth 4 cup
- water or more vegetable broth 1 cup
- medium-large cauliflower 26.4 oz
- cannellini beans 2
- nutritional yeast 5 tbsp
- kosher salt 2 tsp
- Freshly
- Lemon
- Crushed
- Best
- For serving: Bread to serve 4
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1Gather: raw cashews , fresh thyme sprigs , large fresh rosemary sprig , bay leaf , extra virgin olive oil for stovetop, see Note 1 , large yellow onion , garlic cloves , low-sodium vegetable broth , water or more vegetable broth , medium-large cauliflower , cannellini beans , nutritional yeast , kosher salt , Freshly cracked black pepper to taste. For the for finishing (not optional!):: Lemon zest, Crushed red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper for mild heat, Best -quality extra virgin olive oil, For serving: Bread to serve .
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
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1Pour boiling water over the cashews to cover and let rest for 15 minutes . Drain and rinse before using. Meanwhile, prep all the other ingredients (cut cauliflower, herbs, garlic).
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2Make the bouquet garni. Use kitchen twine to tie up the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, and bay leaf.
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3Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 minutes , stirring occasionally, until golden brown. If they start to get brown too quickly, add a splash of water. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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4Pour in some of the vegetable broth and deglaze the pot, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining broth, water, soaked and drained cashews, cauliflower florets, cannellini beans, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Gently tuck the bouquet garni into the broth. It’s okay if the cauliflower florets aren't totally submerged by the liquid – they’ll cook down.
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5Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook for 15 minutes , or until the cauliflower is tender and soft.
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6Once the soup is done cooking, remove and discard the bouquet garni, and transfer the soup to a stand blender (you will need to do this in batches). Remove the center cap of the blender and cover it with a dish towel to allow the steam to escape. Blend until smooth, thick, and creamy. NOTE: You can also use an immersion blender, but the texture won’t be as smooth.
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7Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly (I usually add a bit more salt at this stage).
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8Transfer the soup to bowls, and before serving, zest some lemon on top, add a scattering of chili flakes, and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Serve with bread, if desired.
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
Olive oil and onion are only required for the stovetop version. The Instant Pot version doesn’t call for onion since it's a dump-and-go recipe (and adding raw onion won’t add much flavor). But if you want to amp up the flavor, use the onion: Start the recipe by turning on the Sauté setting of the Instant Pot (normal heat). Add the olive oil, and once hot, add the finely chopped onion with a pinch of salt. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Continue the recipe as listed. The extra 1 cup of water or broth is only required for the stovetop version. Stick with 4 cup of water/broth if using the Instant Pot. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is considerably less salty, teaspoon for teaspoon, than table salt or sea salt. If using sea salt (or Morton’s kosher salt), use 1 1/4 tsp salt. If using table salt, use 1 tsp. Storage: Got more leftovers? This soup is freezer-friendly! Store in single-serve portions and defrost in the fridge. For quicker defrosting, I recommend these Souper Cubes. That way, you can defrost it on the stove and cook it through quickly. No need to defrost in the fridge overnight. Shortcut: Use ~26 2/5 oz pre-cut cauliflower florets.
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1To the Instant Pot inner pot, add the garlic, cauliflower florets, cashews, cannellini beans, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, nutritional yeast, 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
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2Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting and set to high pressure for 7 minutes .
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3Once the 7-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a Quick Pressure Release by switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting.
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4Open the pot and remove/discard any whole herbs. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until thick and creamy, taking care to blend all the cashews. Alternatively, if you want a super silky texture, transfer the soup to a stand blender (you will need to do this in batches), and blend until creamy and smooth (replace the center cap from the blender lid and cover with a dish towel to allow steam to escape).
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5Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly (I usually add a bit more salt at this stage).
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6Transfer the soup to bowls, and before serving, zest some lemon on top, add a scattering of red pepper flakes, and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with bread, if desired.