Vegan Cauliflower Pesto Soup

This Vegan Cauliflower Pesto Soup is creamy, garlicky, and packed with fresh basil flavor. Silky cauliflower blends with savory broth, a touch of cornstarch for creaminess, and crunchy pine nuts for a nutty finish—simple, cozy, and full of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium garlic cloves
• 1 head (~1 lb) cauliflower
• 4 C vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp pine nuts (or sesame seeds!)
• 1 C loosely packed basil leaves

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, mince the garlic.
3. Discard the cauliflower leaves and core, then cut the head into smaller pieces, roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
4. Add the garlic to the oil and cook for a min until lightly browned
5. Add cauliflower, 3 C veggie broth, salt, pepper and increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
6. Cover and cook for 10-12 min on medium or until the cauliflower is tender.
7. While it’s cooking, whisk together the last cup of broth and cornstarch into a small mixing bowl until well combined.
8. Toast the pine nuts into a small dry skillet over low heat until fragrant and lightly browned, remove from heat. (optional - uncooked still tastes great!)
9. Add the cornstarch/broth mixture to the main soup pot and cook uncovered for 5 min.
10. Add all but a few of the basil leaves and remove from heat.
11. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
12. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
13. Add soup to bowl(s), add remaining basil leaves and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Sprinkle on pine nuts (or sesame seeds).

Tips

To switch things up, you can pickle a little bit of the cauliflower, and add finely diced carrot for added flavor and texture. These don’t need to be cooked, but cut them small so they don’t overpower the soup.