Creamy, warming, and packed with Middle Eastern flavor, this spiced cauliflower soup transforms simple ingredients into an elegant comfort food dinner. Toasted cumin and coriander, caramelized onions, fresh lemon, and sweet golden raisins create a rich, fragrant soup that's naturally vegan, gluten-free, and deeply satisfying.
This easy cauliflower soup recipe comes together with pantry staples and makes the perfect cozy meal for chilly nights, healthy lunches, or anytime you're craving something nourishing with bold, vibrant flavor.
This spiced cauliflower soup will warm up your body and soothe your soul with toasted Middle Eastern flavours, caramelized onions and sweet golden raisins.
When everyone is going crazy with the first signs of winter, I crave a bowl of soup. (For best results, I make soup in a cast-iron dutch oven.)
Because soup goes through our bodies like the kindest manna from heaven, smooth and warm, and full of good-for-you-vitamins.
In fact, most people would say their grandmother's chicken soup is the best cure for a cold before they vouch for that NeoCitran, amiright?
The cure for all colds
Recently, one of my favourite bloggers recently referred to the first week of January as "the soupiest, salad-iest week on the internet."
I have seen many mouth-watering, delicious, healthy soups around the blogosphere lately. Add to this the horrible flu pandemic in some areas of North America, and you got a desperate call for soup.
As a homage to the "soupiest... week on the internet", I present to you my cure for the winter blues. A warming, fragrant spiced cauliflower soup with caramelized onions and raisins.
Because you can't be bored with a bowl of cumin-laced soup in your lap.
In fact, I'm pretty sure the Russian diet is made up of 60 per cent soup! The remaining 40 per cent is somehow split between meat, dairy and mayonnaise.
Soup happens to be one of my favourite things to eat, EVER, so I can't say I mind.
Since you're visiting a blog dedicated to Russian and Jewish recipes, you must feel the same way.
Middle Eastern spiced cauliflower soup
If you're looking for a soup with lots of cream, meat, and mass, this baby ain't for you. This soup won't make you want to nap in the midst of a busy day.
However, this soup will fill you up in the best way possible: nourishing, light, aromatic.
Instead, this spiced cauliflower soup will warm up your body and soothe your soul. Its toasted Middle Eastern flavours like cumin and coriander are nature's natural boost.
My spiced cauliflower soup will provide you with a dose of healthy, flu-fighting vitamins from lemon and garlic.
Finally, this Middle Eastern spiced cauliflower soup will brighten up your day with a generous sprinkle of sweet, plump, golden raisins.
In the end, you will be left holding a full-bodied bowl of the most comforting and fragrant spiced cauliflower soup ever, topped with caramelized onions and sweet golden raisins.
The perfect cure for a winter sickness.
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Recipe
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Middle Eastern spiced cauliflower soup with caramelized onions and raisins
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized onions
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon cumin seeds + 1 TB ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 tablespoon paprika
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 heads of cauliflower
- 1 Bay leaf
- 6 cups water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon salt or more, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Dried golden raisins
Instructions
- Mince garlic finely. Chop onion into bite-size pieces (no need to chop too finely).
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot (preferably a dutch oven) to medium heat. Add 2 TBs of oil. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and 2 tsps of paprika, and let toast for a minute, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue sauteing until garlic turns golden, 2 more minutes.
- Add 2 more TBs of oil and chopped onion, and lower heat to low-medium. Cook the onion until it caramelizes, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. When done cooking, set aside ¾ cup of the onion-spice mixture.
- Meanwhile, cut up cauliflower roughly (remove the bottom of the stem, but no need to discard the stem - it will be fine in the soup). When onions have finished cooking, add cauliflower along with 8 cups of water and a bay leaf to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and continue simmering for 20 minutes.
- Blend soup completely with an immersion blender or in a standing blender (if doing the latter, let soup cool first!). Add 1 TB of ground cumin and 2 last tsps of paprika, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the soup. Taste, and correct seasonings as needed.
- When serving, top each bowl with a tablespoon of caramelized onions and a handful of golden raisins.
Nina at Focusedonfit.com says
Wow! I'm loving this soup. On a rainy Monday, this soups looks perfect to warm me up. Love the spices and the use of cauliflower...seems like cauliflower is the new ''kale!" Can't wait to try it!
kseniaprints says
I definitely noted the rise in cauliflower recipes this year. For me, cauliflower is one of my go-to veggies for a quick meal during winter (along with chickpeas); it's filling, delicious, but also healthy. I'm glad to see it trending!
Kimberly/TheLittlePlantation says
This soup looks absolutely, completely and totally deeelish.
Thanks so much for sharing and thank goodness for Soup month 😉
kseniaprints says
Soup month is my favourite month!
Berta says
Even though I've never had a soup with raisins in it, I think I will give this one a try 😉
Also, I couldn't agree more about the mayonnaise!
kseniaprints says
Same in Belarusian culture, I bet 😉 Let me know how it goes - I think you'll like it! It's not so outside the realm of former Eastern USSR dishes.
Katie @ Whole Nourishment says
Love the spices in this soup and especially the caramelized onion topping!
kseniaprints says
Yay! Thank you Katie 🙂
Kate says
These tablespoon quantities are incorrect, compared with other recipes. Also it is usual to roast the cauliflour first. I thought it was poor
kseniaprints says
Hello Kate, thanks for your comments. However, these are the measurements that I use in the making of my soup, which work for us (note that this recipe makes a fairly large amount of soup). If you want to roast your cauliflower first or use less salt, be my guest! I find it doesn't change the flavour enough to justify the extra 30-45 mins step (the sauteed onion provides sufficient flavour). In any case, I hope you feel empowered and inspired enough to play with recipes, and don't feel the need to follow them to a T.
Kate says
Back to previous comment. Jusrpt realised recipe says 2 tablespoons SALT. All the spices are wrongly sized.