My Favorite Quick and Easy Soup

This soup is one of my go-to recipes. It requires only a handful of ingredients, and is easily adaptable. It also comes together quickly, with minimal effort. It's as easy as one, two, three!

Ingredients and Supplies

Cauliflower. I used two heads.
Onion, any variety you like. I used one large yellow onion.
Garlic. I used four large cloves.
Celery. I used two stalks.
Kale. I used one bunch.
Sausage. I used one kielbasa type.
Broth. I used one box of chicken broth.
Salt and pepper.
Butter.
Red pepper flakes.
Water, in case you want a thinner soup.
Pot large enough for soup. I used a 6 quart dutch oven.
Knife.
Immersion or regular blender. Optional, but good for making a thick, creamy soup.

If you're new to my blog, you'll notice I didn't include exact measurements, just a list of ingredients. That's because cooking is unique to your needs. I assume you know how to cook, know what flavors you like, and can figure out quantities. If you aren't quite sure of yourself, now is a great time to test out your instincts and skills. Most home cooking isn't about following a recipe to the letter anyway.

How To

One

Cut everything before you cook. I like to large dice the onion. I try to keep the cauliflower florets the same size, roughly bite sized. Cut the celery into half-moons, or dice it. Roughly chop the garlic. Strip the kale from its stems and cut into bite sized pieces. Cut the sausage on the bias into rounds.

Two

Heat up your soup pot. I did a medium heat setting. Add your cooking fat of choice, I used butter. Once its melted, add the onions and celery to the pot. Saute until the onions are becoming translucent, or longer. I like to let my onions start to brown. I like the extra depth of flavor.

Next add your garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add your cauliflower and broth to the pot. I like to add my red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper now as well. Let the cauliflower simmer, covered, until tender.

Once your cauliflower is tender, turn the heat down to low. I like to do this so that I have plenty of time to do the blending.

Three

Time to blend. I like to use an immersion blender. It's easier and faster than batch blending in a regular blender. But it is entirely possible to do this in a blender as well. You will just need to do smaller batches of soup at a time to avoid burns and blender explosions.

Blend your soup while it's in the pot. You could remove the pot from the heat if you want an extra level of safety. How much you blend is entirely up to you. You can blend everything for a creamy smooth texture, or blend only part way and have little chunks of texture. I chose to blend most of my soup.

Put your soup back on low heat if you took it off while blending. Taste now, and adjust for seasoning.

Add the kale and sausage, stir and let sit until the kale begins to wilt and the sausage is heated through. Take off the heat and enjoy!

And that is it! Simple and delicious! Serve it with whatever you like! The leftovers reheat well, although the texture will change if you freeze it.

Variations

Variety is the spice of life! Here are some ideas to change it up!

Instead of cauliflower, you could use potatoes. I recommend a yukon gold for best texture. You could also try turnips or rutabagas. All are delicious in their own ways.
Instead of kale, any dark leafy green would work. Spinach tends to get slimy when overcooked, so I would add it just a few minutes before serving. If you're making this in the spring, try dandelion greens!
Instead of kielbasa style sausage, almost any other type should work. You can even cook bulk style sausage, breaking it up into pieces like you would ground beef. Italian sausage, even breakfast sausage works well in this recipe. If you don't like sausage, some cooked ground beef, or cubed cooked chicken will work.
Use any flavor of broth you like. I just use whatever I happen to have. You can make this recipe with just water, but it will not have the same depth of flavor.
Don't like heat? Don't add the red pepper flakes!

First post on the new site! I hope you all enjoy making this soup! I'd love to hear your variations!

I am still acclimating and figuring things out over here, please bear with me! Thanks for being here!

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