Motor & Mosey

A while back, I made my own twist on Derek’s very favorite soup, the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana (anyone who knows him is probably aware of his unexplainable love for Olive Garden). While my homemade twist was delish, it was chalked full of potatoes and white beans, both of which I am trying to avoid as I head into a low-carb year. So what did I do when he was craving more soup on this cloudy San Diego weekend? Remade his favorite with roasted cauliflower instead of the carby beans and potatoes.

My oh my was it a hit! The addition of the smokey, roasted cauliflower enhanced the flavor and added some much needed substance to the soup. I am not a believer that cauliflower solves all (I’ve tried cauliflower pizza and it is just not the same), but in the case of this soup I would choose the cauliflower version every time.

Kale and Sausage Soup w/ Roasted Cauliflower

2 cups cauliflower, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
16 oz italian sausage
4 strips bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 tsp italian herbs
1/2 tsp pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss cauliflower in olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic salt, white pepper, and chili flakes. Spread cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. Roast approximately 25-30 min, stirring once to ensure that cauliflower is browned on all sides. Remove from oven, set aside.

Brown italian sausage in large stock pot. Remove sausage, set aside. Add bacon to the pan, cook until it begins to brown. Add onions and carrots to the bacon, cook 5-7 minutes until the veggies have softened. Add garlic, stir to combine. Add chopped kale to the pot, stirring intermittently, cook until kale is softened and has reduced to 1/3 its original size. Add herbs, pepper, chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and roasted cauliflower. Allow soup to simmer for 5-10 minutes to let flavors marry.

A slice of crusty bread makes a great side-kick for this delish soup!