Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Grilled Cheese

This creamy roasted cauliflower soup with a cranberry turkey grilled cheese is like Thanksgiving dinner served up soup and sandwich-style. It’s cozy, comforting and just one of the small-scale comfort-food inspired recipes in my new cookbook, Gourmet Cooking for One or Two.

photo of a turkey grilled cheese on a plate with a bowl of cauliflower soup

Soup is one of my favorite ways to get my cozy on, but add a grilled cheese sandwich and I’m in comfort food heaven. With this soup and sandwich combo you get all the comforting goodness of Thanksgiving, also known as the comfort food Olympics, but it’s way easier to make and you don’t have to wait until November. This roasted cauliflower soup and cranberry turkey grilled cheese for two is on call whenever you want some comfort, no matter the time of year.

I’m sharing this recipe today as a sneak peek from my new book, Gourmet Cooking for One or Two, which is full of small-batch comfort-food inspired dinner recipes.

How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Soup

The recipe starts with the roasted cauliflower soup. I love to roast cauliflower because the flavor is mild and it goes with lots of different flavors. Roasting it brings out it’s subtle nutty flavor and it has a touch of sweetness from the caramelization.

This roasted cauliflower soup is a small-batch recipe and makes just enough for two people.

Roasted Cauliflower

  • Break a small head of cauliflower into florets and spread them into an even layer on a baking sheet.
  • Drizzle some olive oil over the top and season the florets with salt and pepper.
  • Roast the cauliflower at 400°F for 15 minutes, flip the cauliflower over and roast them for 15 minutes more or until they’re caramelized and tender.

Make the Soup

  • Because the soup serves two you only need a 3.5-quart sauce pan to make it. Start by heating some olive oil and then adding chopped onion, garlic, and dried oregano and cook them until the veggies have softened.
  • Add the roasted cauliflower and vegetable stock and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
  • Puree the soup until smooth and then add some cream. At this point, the soup is done and you can keep it over low heat while you make the sandwiches

How to Make Cranberry Turkey Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Melted provolone cheese, sliced deli-turkey, and bright and fresh cranberry sauce all come together in these grilled cheese sandwiches.

Cranberry Sauce

You can certainly use store-bought cranberry sauce, but this homemade version makes just enough for two sandwiches and takes just minutes to make.

  • Frozen cranberries
  • Lemon juice
  • Honey

Just warm the cranberries in the lemon juice in a small saucepan. Add the honey and then just mash the cranberries to break them down. Simmer them for a minute or so until the sauce thickens.

Turkey Grilled Cheese

To make the sandwiches, spread some Dijon mustard and mayonnaise on a slice of bread. Top with deli turkey and sliced provolone cheese. Spread the cranberry sauce on another slice of bread and place it on top of the cheese.

Cook the sandwiches in melted butter in a non-stick skillet until toasty and golden brown.

Be sure to check out my cookbook, Gourmet Cooking for One or Two, for more small-batch dinner recipes!

photo of the cover of Gourmet Cooking for One or Two

Gourmet Cooking for One or Two: Incredible Meals that are Small in Size but Big in Flavor

Available at these Retailers:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indie Bound | The Book Depository

Happy soup & sandwich-making,

More Recipes for Two

Look for more recipes for two? Here are a few of my favorites or check out my Recipes for One or Two collection for even more ideas!

  • Mushroom Spinach Melt | Not your ordinary grilled cheese sandwich! Mushrooms sauteed with spinach and white wine piled on bread with plenty of Gruyere cheese – these mushroom spinach melt sandwiches are a great way to do lunch with some soup on the side.
  • 11 Easy Dinner Recipes for Two | I gathered up 11 easy dinner recipes for two all in one post. There are a few fancy ones and a few that are perfect for a weeknight. I hope you find some new recipes to try!
  • Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Soup | Roasted cauliflower and smoky bacon meet in a creamy cheddar cheese soup – this bacon cheddar cauliflower soup is a cozy dinner for two.
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Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

photo of a turkey grilled cheese on a plate with a bowl of cauliflower soup

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This recipe is like Thanksgiving dinner in soup and sandwich form, complete with homemade cranberry sauce, turkey and a mashed potato-inspired creamy cauliflower soup. And as with any great soup and grilled cheese combo, don’t be afraid to do a little sandwich dunking for the best experience.

  • Author: April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Simmer
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Soup

  • 1 (10-oz [284 g]) head of cauliflower, broken into 1″ (2.5-cm) florets
  • 1 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) olive oil, divided
  • 2 tsp (10 g) kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 cup (76 g) chopped onion
  • 2 tsp (6 g) chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 1/2 cups (592 ml) vegetable stock
  • Juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

For the Grilled Cheese

  • 1/2 cup (50 g) frozen cranberries
  • Juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
  • 2 tbsp (28 g) mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp (10 g) Dijon mustard
  • 4 slices country white bread
  • 4 oz (115 g) thin-sliced deli turkey
  • 4 slices Swiss cheese
  • 2 tbsp (28 g) butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. To make the soup, spread the cauliflower florets in an even layer on a baking sheet. Coat the cauliflower evenly with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil and season it with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the cauliflower over on the sheet pan and continue to roast it for another 15 minutes, or until it’s fork tender.
  3. In a 3 1/2-quart (3-L) saucepan, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon (7 ml) olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the oregano and stir. Add the roasted cauliflower and vegetable stock and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, add the lemon juice and simmer it over medium-low heat while you make the grilled cheese sandwiches.
  4. To make the sandwiches, first cook the frozen cranberries and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the cranberries have warmed through, add the honey. Stir to combine and use a potato masher to mash the cranberries. Cook the sauce for 1 minute, or until it has thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
  5. Divide the mayonnaise and mustard between 2 bread slices and spread them into an even layer on each. Top the bread with the turkey and 2 slices of cheese for each sandwich. Spread the cranberry sauce on the other 2 slices of bread.
  6. Melt the butter in a medium-size non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Cook on each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden and crispy.
  7. Add the cream to the soup and stir to combine. Serve the soup, sprinkled with the parsley, with the sandwiches on the side.

Notes

Excerpt from Gourmet Cooking for One or Two by April Anderson. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Page Street Publishing.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
  • Calories: 981
  • Sugar: 21.7g
  • Sodium: 3875.5mg
  • Fat: 66.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 28.6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 33.4g
  • Trans Fat: 0.9g
  • Carbohydrates: 60.1g
  • Fiber: 6.4g
  • Protein: 39.7g
  • Cholesterol: 157.9mg

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