Cauliflower soup with gnocchi

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Winter is long, we get it. That doesn’t mean you have to eat the same warm meals every week. Try this cauliflower soup with gnocchi next. We are pretty sure it’s going to make it on your recipes’ rotation list.

What to expect: this dish is simple and easy to make, wholesome, healthy and nutritious. Most importantly, it’s full of flavour even without pasta, or extra cheese. You can enjoy it as a minestrone or blend it into a cream, before adding the pasta (that’s how I personally like it :).

Let’s make it.

What’s to love about this Cauliflower soup

Minestrone with pasta is a delicious meal to make and enjoy throughout Winter, as well as during Autumn and Spring.

If you love Italian food, and appreciate comforting food, you’re going to love this recipe.

You’ll also love the fact that you can make it in under 1 hr; most of the time is needed for simmering not preparing it.

The recipe makes enough for 5 portions.

You can store any leftovers without the gnocchi in the freezer.

How to make this Cauliflower Gnocchi Soup

There are 5 steps in making this dish.

Clean and prep your vegetables
Make a soffritto
Add the cauliflower and liquids
Leave to simmer
Cook the gnocchi and serve

Below is our easy recipe, you can follow on your screen or print out.

The key ingredient in this recipe is our Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a high quality EVOO that is rich in antioxidants and tastes delicious. It really adds a wholesome flavour to this simple meal, both in the soffritto and the final drizzle.

Italian Cauliflower Soup with Gnocchi

This soup is simple and easy to make, wholesome, healthy and nutritious. Most importantly, it's full of flavour even without pasta, or extra cheese. You can enjoy it as a minestrone or blend into a cream before adding the pasta; the latter is how I personally like it.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cosy meal, easy, vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings 4 large bowls

Calories 450kcal

Author Alessia

Cost €12

Equipment

1 chopping board
1 chopping knife
1 vegetable peeler
1 large pot
1 small pot
1 strainer spoon
1 soup ladle

Ingredients

3 tbsp Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more for drizzling when serving
1 onion medium
2 garlic cloves
2 stalks celery
3 carrots medium
1 cauliflower medium sized, about 700gr
2 vegetable stock cubes
1.5 litre water or enough to cover all the vegetables in the pot
200 ml cooking cream we are using dairy free
500 gr gnocchi between 10 to 15 per bowl
salt enough to season
black pepper enough to season
your favourite Italian herb optional for extra flavour
1 tbsp pecorino cheese for grating or grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prepare all the ingredients you need. See ingredients list.
3 tbsp Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1 cauliflower, 2 vegetable stock cubes, 1.5 litre water, 200 ml cooking cream, 500 gr gnocchi, salt, black pepper, your favourite Italian herb, 1 tbsp pecorino cheese
Wash, peel and cut the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to make the soffritto.
Wash and cut your cauliflower head into florets.
Add your soffritto vegetables (onion, garlic, carrots and celery) to a large pot with 3 tablespoons of Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Mix and leave to golden for around 5 minutes; continue mixing from time to time and lower the heat.
Prepare the vegetable stock by placing both cubes in a bowl with water and heating it up in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Then use a spoon to stir the stock cube into the water and help it melt.
Add the cut cauliflower florets to your soffritto vegetables.
Add the bowl of water with the melted vegetable stock cubes.
Add enough water, about 1.5 litres, to cover all the vegetables in the pot.
Add the cooking cream. You can use regular cream or dairy free cream.
Mix everything, season with salt and pepper, cover the pot with its lid and leave to simmer for 40 minutes over low heat.
Feel free to add the optional Italian herb for extra flavours (oregano or thyme are good choices).
After 30 minutes, fill a medium sized pot with water, season with salt and leave to boil. Then add the gnocchi and leave to cook for about 2 minutes. You know they are ready once they start floating.
Take the pot of the heat. Drain and serve the gnocchi in each bowl. Top with two or more ladleful minestrone.
Finish by adding a crack of black pepper, a drizzle of Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a tablespoon of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese.
Optional: You can choose to blend your minestrone, add it to the gnocchi in a bowl and then garnish.

Video

Notes

You can store it up to 3 days in the fridge, and for a few months in the freezer.

If you store it in the freezer, I suggest you store it without the gnocchi because the gnocchi will go mushy once defrosted.

How to pair this Minestrone

This can be a complete meal because it also includes pasta. However, if you are someone who strives to always include protein with your meals, here are a few meal pairings ideas:

Grill some chicken and enjoy it alongside. Replace chicken with tofu if you are vegetarian.
Make a chicken salad to eat before or after the minestrone.
You can also top your plate with some plain shredded chicken.
Enjoy a high protein dessert like a bowl of Greek yogurt and nuts.

Common Questions

Now that I have shared the recipe and also suggested how to pair it, I am going to answer a few of the questions that might come up before or while you make it.

Can you make cauliflower soup without dairy?

Yes, you can make cauliflower soup without dairy. In this recipe, we are using a dairy free cooking cream and it's so delicious.

Is cauliflower soup gluten free?

This cauliflower pasta soup can be made gluten free by using gluten free gnocchi pasta, or another gluten free pasta.

Is cauliflower soup low calorie?

If you follow our recipe, the result is a relatively low calorie meal. To cut more calories, you can opt to enjoy the soup without pasta and without cheese.

How long does soup keep in the fridge?

The time soup lasts in the fridge greatly depends on the type of soup. A chicken broth or fish bisque will last less time than a vegetable soup. This cauliflower minestrone lasts up to 4 days in the fridge.

Do you cook pasta in soup or separately?

You can cook pasta in soup, if all of the soup is going to be enjoyed with pasta. However, if you plan to have some soup with pasta and save the rest of the soup to enjoy on another day without the pasta, you should cook the pasta separately and serve it in your plate before adding the soup.

Which pasta shape is best for soup?

Small pasta shapes are the most commonly used for soup. These include Italian pasta shapes like stelline, ditalini, and anellini. Small pasta is called pastina in Italian, which means small pasta. However, you can also use spaghetti and break them into small pieces.

Can you use gnocchi in soup?

Yes, you can use gnocchi in soups. Gnocchi are great to add to vegetable soups, as they are mainly made with potatoes. If you prefer, you can also find tiny gnocchi to use for your pasta soups.

How long do gnocchi take to cook?

Gnocchi usually take 2 to 3 minutes to cook. They are ready once they float at the top of the water in your pasta pot. However, for exact cooking time it's best to check your pasta packaging instructions.

Can you use large pasta in soup?

Although, small pasta is the most commonly pasta shape used, you can also use larger pasta in soups. You can use spaghetti and break them into smaller pieces, or you can use up any penne, conchiglie, calamari, and other larger pasta shapes you might have in your cupboard.

How many stock cubes for soup?

We suggest using 1 stock cube per every litre of water you add to your pot, but it's ok to use slightly more with less water. If you do that, you may want to add less salt when seasoning so as to avoid the soup turning out too salty.