As y’all may know, I’ve been on a health streak in the New Year. What’s different than in the past is being much more conscious of calories. I don’t even mean total caloric intake everyday. I am so much more aware just how many calories are in foods, condiments, etc. that I was just blissfully unaware!
So, we have a few favorite soups. One of them is Curtis Stone’s corn and potato chowder. I figured, let’s take his recipe and reduce the carbs, and bada bing, we’ll have a nice low calorie soup! WRONG! As I started to devise my modified recipe, I realized just how many calories are in milk, in heavy cream, in bacon!!! Well, bacon should have been a gimme, but I’m going to claim naivety and utter innocence over the whole matter. So whatev’s.
I ended up completely deviating away from Curtis’ recipe to make a healthful and delicious soup that isn’t packed with so many unnecessary calories! So, let’s break it down. First, I went forward with my initial plan of swapping out the potatoes for cauliflower. A cup of cauliflower has almost 100 calories less than potatoes, and a whopping 20+ carbs less than potatoes! That’s huge! So, that was an awesome swap and one that you really don’t miss the potatoes… I swear!
I did keep the bacon because we all deserve a bit of a treat! But the game changer was completely getting rid of the milk and heavy cream! Okay, so my mind was utterly blown when I realized just how many calories were in the combination of milk and heavy cream that Curtis lists in his recipe. In comes unsweetened almond milk! You guys, holy crap! Almond milk is like my new hero. When cooking with it, you cannot tell the difference between almond milk and regular milk!
I did end up adding some “unnecessary” calories by making a roux, but the calories added by the flour and butter are so significantly less than milk + heavy cream, that it was worth it. Why? Because making the roux thickened up the almond milk to where you absolutely do not miss out on the thick creaminess the heavy cream normally adds!
Besides the customary celery that most chowders have, I added in finely grated carrots. They add so much additional nutritional value but are almost indistinguishable. Not that I mind the flavor of carrots in soup! I really just wanted them for their added vitamins!
Lastly, I added some cayenne pepper and paprika to give this a nice twist… it’s also what gives the soup a subtle reddish hue! The flavors come together so nicely with this soup. This soup is like a loaded baked potato but so much more healthy! The sprinkle of cheese on top is totally optional! I didn’t have any on mine, and I loved the soup! My husband and son had cheese on theirs, and they loved the soup! So, you do you 😉. And, wow, can I just tell you it is amazing how much the flavor is amplified by tossing some fresh thyme and scallions on after you serve up the soup???
If you haven’t used almond milk for soup before, you have got to try it! I am 100% sold on it. I mean 90 calories per cup just for skim milk, let alone 800 calories for 1 cup of heavy cream (!!!), versus 30 calories for unsweetened almond milk! That adds up so quickly!
Okay, you’re probably utterly sick of me going on about calories. This month has just been such an eye opener. Geez, I’m almost 40 years old and am just beginning to realize the caloric content of some of my day to day ingredients!
Regardless, this soup is so delicious (and you save enough calories to treat yourself to a Pillsbury crescent 🤫).
Enjoy!
Loaded “Baked Potato” Cauliflower & Bacon Chowder
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Dinner
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
4 – 5 cups cauliflower florets
8 oz bacon
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 sprigs of thyme, plus thyme leaves to garnish
6 celery stalks, cut into ½” pieces
3 carrots, finely grated
8 green onions, chopped ~ dark green parts cut on the bias for garnish
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBs butter, divided
¼ cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
⅛ – ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsps paprika
salt & pepper
shredded cheddar, to garnish, if desired
Instructions
Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Evenly spread the bacon on the rack and place the baking sheet in a cold oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to 400°F and cook for 25 minutes.
While the bacon cooks, prep the vegetables, starting with the cauliflower. Spread the cauliflower onto a baking sheet. Once the oven heats to 400°F (usually when there is about 10 minutes left for the bacon), place the cauliflower on the rack below the bacon.
When the bacon has finished cooking, remove from the oven and let cool. Raise the oven temperature to 500°F and move the cauliflower up to the middle rack and flip the cauliflower. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly charred. Once the bacon has cooled, dab with paper towels to sop up excess oil, then chop. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add in the onion and thyme. Lightly season with salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes. Add in the celery, carrots, and green onions. Lightly season with salt and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Once the butter dries up, add in the remaining butter and garlic cloves. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Slowly add in the chicken stock, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Add in the almond milk. Bring to a light simmer, stirring occasionally. Add in the cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the bacon. Once the cauliflower has finished roasting, add it to the pot and stir to combine. Allow the soup to thicken slightly ~ about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the thyme sprigs and serve.
Garnish with green onions, thyme leaves, and shredded cheese, if desired.
Enjoy!
Keywords: loaded baked potato soup, loaded cauliflower soup, low carb cauliflower soup, soup, cauliflower soup, cauliflower chowder
