Cauliflower Cheese Soup like Zupas

Cauliflower Cheese Soup like Zupas is one of my favorite lunchtime cravings.
We have a sandwich shop that I love in our town in Utah. It is called Zupas. I love that you can choose between like 12 different sandwiches and 12 different salads and 12 different soups EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup...so creamy and yummy! This recipe will get you hooked! I have gone there about 6 times this month (I've lunched with lots of friends since I'm a teacher off for the summer!) and have never gotten the same salad or soup or sandwich combination yet. And they always give you a little chocolate covered strawberry with every meal.

 Zupas is a delightful place! One of my favorite soups there (I have 3 favorites) is the Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheese soup. It is rich and creamy and the color of clam chowder. I like to add some crunchy tortilla strips or homemade buttery croutons to the top. Yum! 

Cut up and then Boil or steam the cauliflower florets in a pan.

So I decided to mess around with some Cauliflower and some online recipes and doctor them up how I like them. I wanted a rich soup, but not as cheesy as some recipes out there. So here is mine. It is similar to my potato cheese, only with the potatoes switched out with cauliflower. And a little richer than my Clam Chowder. 

I'll start by chopping up my medium head of cauliflower and boiling it in some water. I will save 1/2 cup of the hot water to soak the bullion cube in. Drain Cauliflower, then Dump it in a blender and add some of the Half & Half to cool it down. 

Then start chopping up your onion while the cauliflower is cooling down in the blender with the half & half.  

 Once your onions are chopped put them in a pan with the 2 Tablespoons of butter and saute for about 10 minutes till onions are clear and soft. 

Saute for about 10 minutes and then add flour to make a roux for your Cauliflower Cheese Soup.

Then add the flour and a little of the milk and make a roux with the onions and butter. Cook the flour for a minute before adding the milk.You don't want to taste flour. 

Once your roux looks like this and onions are clear and soft dump this mixture into the blender too, and blend the cauliflower and onion mixture with the rest of the milk and half & half till creamy. Then put the mixture back into a pan.

 Add the bullion cube that was sitting in the half cup of cauliflower water. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low till cheese is melted.Add the spices and let simmer for a few minutes....you are almost done! You can add some milk if you want a thinner soup. Add more spices if you like. Sometimes I like to add a dash or two of lemon pepper to my soups. 

Now I start making some fun homemade croutons for the top of the soup. 

Butter a piece of bread, and cut up into squares, then toast in the oven for less than a minute on broil at 400 degrees. If you want add some garlic salt, but this soup is rather rich so I think I like it better just with toasted, buttered croutons. 

This is a delicious soup for any time of year. It reminds me of potato cheese soup from Marie Callendars too. It is just a slightly different taste. Go try it this week! 

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  Cauliflower Cheese Soup
•      1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped, boiled and pureed
•      1/2 cup chopped sweet vidalia onion chopped,sauteed, pureed 
•      2 Tablespoons real butter
•      1/4 Cup flour for a roux
•      1  Cup half and half 
•      1  Cup milk
•      1 small can of chicken broth
•      1 chicken bullion cube soaked in 1/2 cup hot water
•      1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded 
•      1/2  cup Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
•      1/2 teaspoon Johnnys or Lawry's seasoning salt or to taste
•      dash of lemon pepper

• 

  Cauliflower Cheese Soup like Zupas. 

Everything should be done in about a half hour. It is THAT easy! And it is yummy. For a variation use potatoes and make potato cheese soup.