Simmering vegetables in a covered pot over low heat so that they steam in their own liquid—a French technique called à l'étouffée—is the ticket to achieving a soup with pronounced depth. We love this method with cauliflower, but also try it with celeriac or rutabagas.
Ingredients
8 Servings
½
4
2
2
2
½
1
¼
¾
6
2
2
½
Preparation
Step 1
Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add shallots, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent, 6–8 minutes.
Step 2
Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Set ¾ cup cauliflower aside; add the rest to pot along with cayenne and ¾ cup cashews; season with salt.
Step 3
Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until cauliflower is fork-tender and vegetables have released all their water, 20–25 minutes (check occasionally to make sure vegetables are not browning; reduce heat if they are).
Step 4
Add stock and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until cauliflower is falling apart, 20–25 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Step 5
Meanwhile, finely chop reserved ¾ cup cauliflower and remaining 2 Tbsp. cashews. Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium. Add cauliflower, cashews, and buckwheat; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until cauliflower and cashews are golden brown and buckwheat is browned and crisp, 5–8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and paprika. Let cool slightly.
Step 6
Working in batches if needed, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Return to pot and reheat over medium-low, stirring and adding more stock to thin if needed (soup should be the consistency of heavy cream). Taste and season soup again if needed.
Step 7
Serve soup topped with toasted cauliflower-buckwheat mixture.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Soup can be made 2 days ahead (or 1 month if frozen). Let cool; transfer to airtight containers and chill.
Nutrition Per Serving
How would you rate Cauliflower-Cashew Soup with Crispy Buckwheat?
Leave a Review
Reviews (65)
Back to TopThis is it. The mothership. I LOVE THIS SOUP. BUT I get a little creative with the spices, and I omit the buckwheat topping. Adding way more Paprika, Cayenne, and maybe like a fistfull of nutritional yeast takes this to the next level.
Lexi
San Francisco
3/28/2023
I am not sure how this only got 4.1 stars. I have been making this recipe for years. I use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. It reminds of a cauliflower soup I got at a restaurant in New York.
Niki
Chicago
8/27/2022
I made this two months ago. Following recipe to a T only did not have groats but topping was still good. Froze a container and had for lunch today. Flavor, consistency and even topping (which I layered on top and scraped off before fully thawing) was as good as the day I made. Absolutely delicious. Will be keeping in rotation until late spring and pick up again in early fall! The white wine technique is crucial!
Melissa
New York, NY
3/14/2021
This came out very lovely, perfect for a cold winter nghit to warm you up.
Axel
Malta
2/24/2021
An all-time favorite amongst my family and friends, with a few alterations... As a vegetarian, I lean heavily on original Spike seasoning mix to add a depth of flavor to many dishes, and use it to season instead of salt in this recipe. It adds a rich layer of flavor that would otherwise be missing. For the topping, I feel the rich soup needs a contrasting flavor, so I toast up a half cup of crushed cashews in a pan with a little oil, add about an equal amount of fried shallots purchased at an asian market (French's fried onions like you be fine too), then once toasted, add about two teaspoons of smoked paprika and the juice of half a lemon.... it's a smoky and bright contrast to the rich creamy soup.
Evan W
Louisville, KY
1/1/2021
This recipe was delicious, easy, and satisfying. The topping is a must-do, and I found I could substitute quinoa, which I had on hand, for the buckwheat, and still achieve that crunchy bite that was needed. This is a keeper and go-to soup recipe - whether for a weeknight dinner or a gathering with special people in your life.
CeilPeel
Chicago, IL
11/11/2020
Replaced the buckwheat with pumpkin seeds and also add some broccoli with the cauliflower, it changed the colour but was still delish! I agree the topping is essential, the lemon rounds out the flavours.
Anonymous
Tasmania
9/6/2019
This was pretty good! I’m not dying to make it again, but it made a good meal. I like that even though the recipe is vegan, the soup was still very filling thanks to the cashews. The topping was an absolute must to add a little zing to the soup, so don’t skip it! My only small issue was that my topping wasn’t quite as oily as pictured - it was more a chunky mix that mostly sunk down once added to the soup. No biggie if you don’t care about aesthetics.
soapnana
Chicago
7/27/2019
We live in a third world country and do not have a blender. Do you think I could try mashing everything together the best I can? Would that work? I know it would not look the same but should still taste the same?
Anonymous
Antigua
2/3/2019
Amazing! I didn't have any cashews so instead used chickpeas, which were half blended with the soup & half added afterwards, and a dollop of yellow miso for extra umami. The topping is incredible! Given my lack of cashews I improvised with pumpkin seeds - still an absolute winner... and no doubt considerably cheaper than the original recipe!
ailsargh
England
1/10/2019
favorite soup we make at Christmas! flavors are phenomenal.
Anonymous
New York
12/24/2018
I made this recipe for dinner tonight, and the flavours are absolutely amazing. My only regret is that I didn't make a double batch!
kagapitos
www.beloved-kitchen.com
11/6/2017