Cauliflower Chowder

I have said it before but I will say it again! It is SO easy to make healthy home made soup.  In many cases, when we are talking veggie soup, your steps are no more than adding a veggie to stock and letting it simmer, adding some spices and DONE!  Ok, ok, maybe there are a few more steps but really it is easy, and very tasty.  This soup is rich and creamy, and next time I will for sure be making a double batch.  You can add any toppings you want (it would be fun to add toppings you would add to baked potato soup) and the leftovers are even better the next day!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 cups
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
4 slices of raw bacon
1 t olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Possible additional toppings: sour cream, scallions, cheddar cheese (adjust pp)

Instructions
Get out a non-stick pan and cook your bacon until crispy. I got my bacon from the butcher, so it was sort of thick, and I feel like it took FOREVER to get crispy.  So just be patient and let it cook up! When the bacon IS crisped up, remove it from the pan and cut into tiny pieces. (a NS pan works better for frying bacon for me than my Dutch oven)

In your Dutch oven heat 1 t of olive oil. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots and let cook until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Wisk in your flour and incorporate into veggies.  Let heat, about 1 minute.  Stir in your broth and milk and bring the soup to a boil.  Add in your cauliflower and bay leaf and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked through.

When soup is done check it for flavor and add salt + pepper depending on your taste.  I added about 1/8 t of kosher salt and a ton of pepper.  Because the stock I use is salty that was plenty of extra flavoring for me!

Tip
Ummm, how come I have never used pre-shredded carrots in soup before?  Buying the little bag of pre-shredded is perfect for soups and salads!

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious.

XOXO - Katie