Creamy Pesto Soup
Editor’s Note: This recipe is courtesy of one of our honorary CNE program students, 17-year-old Macy Diulus. Macy is a dynamo who writes and photographs her own food blog, Paleo Crumbs. Today, Macy is sharing one of the recipes from her e-cookbook, Paleo Crumbs Fall Favourites. We can personally attest to the fact that Macy’s recipes are awesome, and we truly recommend you give this one a try!
When the days get shorter and colder, a nice warming bowl of soup is a must. I love smoothies, but sometimes I like to switch it up during cooler weather. Soup is a great nutrient-packed warm alternative to a cold nutrient-packed smoothie!
I love creamy soups, but don’t tolerate dairy all that well so a creamy and dairy-free soup is oh so good. One of my favorite ways to add creaminess to a soup is by using cauliflower. I know it sounds weird at first, but trust me. This crazy awesome idea was inspired by my mom’s creamy mushroom soup, which she makes creamy by using…wait for it…cauliflower!
Cauliflower is super high in nutrients and vitamins, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin K (something I learned from the amazing CNE program). If you are looking for a warm, creamy, nutritious, and flavourful soup then give this one a try!
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Creamy Pesto Soup
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- ½ onion
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp ghee
- 3 cups bone broth (or vegetable stock)
- 3/4 cup basil pesto (if you don’t have time to make homemade pesto, just read the ingredients on store bought pesto and buy one with minimal ingredients)
- Fresh basil, to serve
- Sea salt, to serve
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower, cutting off the stock and leaves. Cut into florets.
- In a medium sized pot, sauté the chopped onion in olive oil. Continue to sauté until onion is translucent in colour. Add in the minced garlic. Sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add in the chopped cauliflower florets and ghee. Sauté for about 4 minutes. Pour in the bone broth (or stock) and the lemon juice. Give it a quick stir and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes over medium heat.
- After 20 minutes, add in the pesto and stir. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Take soup off of heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Pour into bowls, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil, and some flaky salt. Enjoy!
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree it in batches in a regular (or high-speed) blender. Be cautious and vent properly to avoid splattering, as it is still very hot!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Soup
Hi, I got really excited to see a creamy dairy-free recipe, then saw clarified butter as an ingredient. I’m hoping you can suggest a dairy-free alternative to Ghee for this recipe?
You can substitute coconut oil or avocado oil, or just leave that Tbsp of oil out entirely. The recipe will still work – most of the creaminess comes from the cauliflower.