Cauliflower Bacon Chowder is a thick, hearty soup with shredded cauliflower, turkey bacon, cheese, onions and celery. It’s really delicious!
As I write this blog post, it is RAINING outside! Really raining! Since we have had such an incredibly DRY summer here in Oregon, this little taste of Fall has me excited. Well, I’m about as “excited” as I’m every going to get about RAIN (sigh), but we desperately need it this year.
I don’t know about you, but when Fall arrives in the Pacific Northwest, and the rains come, the leaves change colors, AND the temperatures drop, I want SOUP!. Do you feel that way, too? It must be a thing… cooler weather and a big bowl of hot soup, right?
Today I want to share a recipe I originally found online. I’ve made a few slight changes to the ingredients and the process used to make it, but the end result is a delicious, hearty cauliflower bacon chowder. I used turkey bacon for this batch (as seen in the pics), but it is easily made with regular bacon, too. Whatever type of bacon you have on hand will work fine, and add great flavor to this chowder. Here’s how to make it:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
A Little Bit Of Prep Work Before Cooking!
It’s always a good idea to get everything you need for the recipe in place before beginning to cook the chowder. For this chowder, you will need to make a thickening agent. You can do this by whisking together 1 cup of chicken broth with 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour. Whisk until it becomes smooth, then set it aside for later.
Grated cauliflower is needed for the chowder. If you are not buying it pre-grated in bags, then you will need to grate it yourself. It’s easy! Pull off the leaves around the bottom of the cauliflower.
Holding onto the stalk, simply grate the cauliflower using the large holes on a hand held grater or box grater. This recipe calls for 4 cups of grated cauliflower, which is roughly the equivalent of a medium head, once grated.
Time To Begin Cooking The Cauliflower Bacon Chowder
Place a large soup pot on the stovetop. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the bacon (turkey bacon OR regular) into small pieces. Use whatever type of bacon you prefer. Cook the bacon on medium heat until fully cooked and crisp. Remove the crisp bacon from the pan and place it on several layers of paper towels, to drain off the grease. Do NOT clean out the soup pot!
Leave 1 Tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the soup pot (discard the rest). Put the chopped onion and celery into the pot, and cook these in the bacon drippings until they become tender. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Now add the minced garlic to the pot, and continue to cook for another minute, stirring often, so the garlic won’t burn.
Add The Cauliflower And Liquid
Dump all the grated cauliflower into the soup pot, along with 3 Tablespoons of water. Give it a good stir, to combine the veggies, then put a lid on the pot. Let the cauliflower “steam” (covered) for about 5-6 minutes, stirring 2-3 times during the steaming process. This helps to tenderize the cauliflower.
Once the cauliflower has become tender, add the remaining cup of chicken broth and the milk to the pot. Stir to combine everything, and turn the heat up.
Final Steps
Whisk in the reserved cup of chicken broth and flour mixture (set aside previously). Continue cooking the chowder until it comes to a boil, whisking often. Once it begins to boil, turn the heat down to Low, and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the cauliflower bacon chowder thickens.
Once the cauliflower bacon chowder has thickened, remove the pot from the heat. Add the grated cheddar cheese, a few dashes of hot sauce and the cooked bacon. Stir until they have been fully incorporated, and the cheese has melted. Take a quick bite, and then season with some salt and black pepper, to suit your personal taste. The hot, seasoned chowder is now ready to serve.
Ready For A Hot Bowl Of Cauliflower Bacon Chowder?
Ladle the soup into serving bowls. If desired, you can “garnish” each serving with more crispy bacon crumbles, amore grated cheese and some sliced green onions. This is not necessary, but it is a nice presentation. It looks good, and we eat with our eyes first, right?
The cauliflower bacon chowder is hot, thick and delicious. It also has little tiny pieces of cauliflower in every bite! YUM! I really think you will enjoy this simple vegetable chowder any time of year, but especially when there is cool or cold weather outside! A bowl of this soup will fill you up and warm you up! I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for taking the time to visit this blog today. I appreciate it, and hope you will come back soon, for more family-friendly recipes. My hope is that you will make this yummy chowder for those you love, when you have the chance. Take care, and have a wonderful day.
Looking for More CAULIFLOWER RECIPES?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of cauliflower recipes you might enjoy, including:
- Broccoli Cauliflower Bake
- Cauliflower Mushroom Skillet
- Grilled Loaded Cauliflower
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
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Recipe adapted from: pinchofnutmeg.com/bacon-cauliflower-chowder/ (Don’t believe this blog is still active)
Cauliflower Bacon Chowder is a thick, hearty soup with shredded cauliflower, turkey bacon, cheese, onions and celery. It's really delicious!
- 6 slices turkey bacon, chopped can substitute regular bacon, if desired
- ½ medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large celery stalk chopped
- 4 cups grated cauliflower about 1 medium head
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth *divided use*
- 2 cups milk 2% is best for this soup
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 dashes Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese can substitute mild cheddar
- salt and pepper (season to taste)
PREP: Whisk together 1 cup of chicken broth and 3 Tablespoons flour. Whisk until smooth; set aside for later.
PREP: Remove leaves around bottom of cauliflower. Holding onto the stalk, grate cauliflower using large holes on a hand or box grater.
Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut bacon into small pieces. In large soup pot, cook bacon on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pot; place on layers of paper towels, to drain off grease. Leave 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease in soup pot. Add chopped onion and celery; cook in bacon grease until they become tender (3-4 minutes). Now add the minced garlic. Continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring often, so garlic doesn't burn.
Put grated cauliflower into soup pot, along with 3 Tablespoons of water. Stir, to combine veggies, then put a lid on the pot. Let cauliflower "steam" (covered) for 5-6 minutes, stirring 2-3 times during steaming process. Once cauliflower is tender, add milk, plus remaining cup of chicken broth, and stir. Turn the heat up.
Whisk in reserved cup of chicken broth and flour mixture. Continue cooking chowder until it comes to a boil, whisking often. Once it begins boiling, turn heat down to LOW; let it simmer 3-4 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Remove pot from heat. Add grated cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and bacon. Stir until cheese has melted. Take a bite; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!
GARNISH: If desired, top each serving with additional bacon crumbles, sliced green onions, and grated cheese. (OPTIONAL, but a nice presentation.)
Caloric calculation made using turkey bacon and 2% milk.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!