Cauliflower, thyme and potato soup with cheesy mustard croutons

May 1, 2023

Creamy cauliflower and potato soup topped with mini cheese toastie bites.Katrina Meynink

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

The mustard cheese toastie bites bring a touch of the old cauli bake flavour profile to this soup and are a wondrous addition. You could, of course, just stick to some simple toast, but they are a very worthy, and I’d lean towards necessary, addition. This soup is spectacularly easy to make and requires very little babysitting while it chugs away on the stove. It freezes well so make in bulk to pull out on those days you fear you might be going down in a blaze of glory.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 brown onions, diced
6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 tbsp thyme leaves
1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
½ head cauliflower, florets roughly chopped
1 litre chicken stock
1½ tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp honey Dijon mustard
300ml sour cream

Cheesy mustard croutons

4 slices sourdough
2 tbsp honey Dijon mustard
4 slices of cheddar cheese (smoked would be ideal here)
1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
3 tbsp butter, for frying

To serve

olive oil
thyme leaves
cheesy croutons (see above)

Method

Step 1
Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and turn the heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes or until completely softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute. Add the chopped potato and cauliflower and cook for a minute, turning it in the onion mixture.
Step 2
Add the stock, oyster sauce and mustard and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20-30 minutes. The cauliflower should have begun to break down and the potatoes softened. Continue to cook until you can easily push a fork through a piece of potato.
Step 3
Use a stick blender and give everything a good whiz in the pot until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir through the sour cream and keep over the heat until warmed through.
Step 4
While the soup is warming through, make the cheesy mustard croutons. Smear two slices of sourdough with mustard and top with a slice of cheese and finish each with a piece of bread, much like a sandwich. Add the oil and butter to a frying pan and once the butter has melted, add the sandwiches, frying until crisp. Flip and fry the other side. Place onto a chopping board and chop into large bite-sized squares, being careful as this will be very hot.
Step 5
Scoop soup into bowls. Top with a few croutons and season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter over additional thyme leaves, if using, and add a drizzle of olive oil to finish. Serve piping hot.