Creamy Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup

One of my favorite restaurants, Zupas, has a creamy white cauliflower soup that is so good.  My love for that soup sent me on a quest to find a version I could make at home.  After trying a few different recipes, and adding a few tweaks of my own this soup was born.  Now, it's not exactly like the Zupas version, but I love this soup.  As the name implies, it is creamy and cheesy, but hearty as well thanks to the cauliflower.  You can choose to puree the cauliflower for a smooth creamy soup or leave some pieces in there if you like to have more texture in it.  Hope you like it!



Creamy Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup
modified from Cooking Classy

Yield: About 4 servings

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower (2 - 2 1/2 lb), cored and chopped into small, bite size pieces
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 cups millk
1 (14 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp (slightly heaping) dried thyme
1 bay leaf
8 oz shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups), plus more for serving if desired

Directions
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until they are translucent. Sprinkle flour in and stir to combine.  Gradually whisk in the broth and 2 cups of milk.  Bring to a boil and add chopped cauliflower, garlic powder, bay leaf, and thyme.  Boil for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every other minute or so to prevent scorching,  until cauliflower is tender.  Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves. At this point you can either transfer the soup to a blender of use an immersion blender to puree some or all of the soup.  Stir in cheese until it melts, then add the cream.  If it is too thick for your liking, stir in some more milk.  I like it think and creamy, so 2 cups was just right for me :).  Salt and Pepper to taste.  If desired, top with tortilla strips and additional cheese.  Enjoy!