{Contest Winner} Roasted Cauliflower Gruyere Soup

This isn't just any soup. Seriously - it's dangerously good. You may feel ripped off when you see the amount it makes. But after one taste, you'll realize how rich and filling this recipe is. You won't be able to stop yourself. It'll serve 3-4 people.

How does Elizabeth feel about dairy?

What I love about cooking with dairy products is how, even after growing up on a dairy farm and eating far more than three servings a day of dairy for my 23 years of life, I can still find new ways to cook with dairy; There truly is a limitless amount of ways to use dairy in great recipes. Also, I love how dairy can be incorporated into a healthy diet without losing flavor or the integrity of the dish knowing that full flavor means full of nutrients, too.

Tell us about your recipe:

For the past couple years during the beautiful months of May and June, I traveled to and enjoyed all that Switzerland has to offer. One amazing thing about Switzerland was their out-of-this-world gruyere cheese. Another was their use of seasonal vegetables in knock-your-socks off ways. Together it was like heaven on earth. So I set out to create something similar for us yanks on state-side.

This soup brings Gruyere cheese, milk, and cauliflower into a delicious love triangle that is surprisingly healthy for you. Each helping contains roughly one serving of vegetables, one serving of dairy, and is gluten free. Plus, the taste is fresh yet rich, and subtle with a kick of cayenne pepper. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Gruyere Soup

Recipe by Elizabeth Olson of Alexandria, MN - Main Dish category winner of the I Dairy^ou to Cook! recipe contest

Gluten free

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
1 tsp. of salt
4 C. 2% milk
¼ C. cream
1 halved onion
3 halved leeks
Pinch of thyme leaves
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
½ C. Gruyere cheese
Pinch of cayenne pepper (more or less for personal taste)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Wash and cut head of cauliflower, remove stalks, salt raw florets, let sit for ten minutes

3. Bring milk, cream, halved onions, halved leeks, thyme, and black pepper to a slow boil in either a Dutch/French oven or soup pot over medium heat

4. Place cauliflower florets in a pan covered in tin foil, cook in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown, shake pan every 5 minutes to avoid burning

5. Scoop onions and leeks out of milk mixture once they are nearly transparent

6. Put roasted cauliflower florets in milk mixture over medium heat, stir every couple minutes

7. Turn off heat once cauliflower has soaked up the milk (roughly 10 minutes)

8. Puree soup with a food processor wand or simply a food processor, soup will be slightly lumpy, add milk for desired thickness

9. Stir in gruyere cheese

10. Mix in cayenne pepper, I use three shakes

11. Serve and enjoy!