Make super smooth and creamy cauliflower and kale soup in a fraction of the time with your Instant Pot!
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Winter hikes, and warm bowls…
At this point in the year, my little Michigander children expect snow…and lots of it! Every once and a while we experience a “barely white” Christmas, and this year was one of them. With the last 2 weeks off from school, they’ve been less than impressed with the lack of fresh powder, but thankfully that leaves roads clear enough to visit some of our favorite hiking places to move around. We warmed up with warm bowls of this super smooth and creamy cauliflower and baby kale soup after a hike this weekend, and the rest will be saved for school lunchbox thermoses, and momma’s breakfast.
A mind-blowing breakfast revelation….
Those of you that follow my Instagram much in the last few years know that soup is on my breakfast plate most days of the week – especially in the cooler months of fall, winter, and early spring. Years ago a nutritional therapist that I was working with opened my eyes to just how many more vegetable minerals and vegetable fiber our bodies need on a daily basis, and one of the ways I have figured out to get veggies into this not-so-smoothie-loving girl’s plate is to use soup.
A new breakfast favorite!
Ever grab a head of cauliflower at the market only to forget about and find it a few days later with the beginnings of those little brown spots on it? Just me?! Well, it happened to me a couple months back in the thick of the beginning of the holiday season, and I decided to use the whole head up in one shot so it didn’t go to waste. I used what I had in-house, and this delicious soup was the result – and became my breakfast for the rest of the week! It has been a nice change up from my typical breakfast soups, which also means veggie nutrient variety for my body, and that is always a win.
What I eat with my soup for breakfast
When I eat soup for breakfast, I like to have it with sides of just about anything! That keeps things interesting, so you don’t get bored. Fried eggs or sausage, a healthy muffin or breakfast cookie…even dinner leftovers will work. Leftover soup warms up quickly, and can go with you in a to-go mug too.
Ok, breakfast soup for mom, but will the kids eat it?!
Well devour it is more like it in my house, but yes, this soup is super kid friendly. If your kids aren’t big soup for breakfast eaters, pack it along in their school lunchbox thermos, or serve it with dinner. It’s a great way to get in more veggie variety with an easy to eat, flavorful soup. The texture is super smooth which most kids prefer, and the flavors are pure and delicious versus super complex. Your toddlers/babies can use a straw if they want to do it themselves. Veggie soup purees were some of my girls’ very favorite first foods, and because we started out young, they crave these mineral rich soups!
Kale? But why?!
The baby kale (or baby spinach if that is what you have) just adds more nutrients to the soup without changing the flavor. Baby kale/spinach is super mild and wilts right into hot soup – I add it to many of my soups because it is an easy way to get those dark green leafies in! It obviously changes the color, but its nice to add more nutrients without any fuss to the flavor. You can certainly leave this ingredient out if you don’t have it around, or if the kids are going to complain about the soup being “green” 🙂
The key to amazing flavor from the Instant Pot
Get those veggie basics down into some flavorful fat on the “saute” feature first. You’ll be so glad you did because the difference in flavor is very different than if you were to just toss everything in and go. Pulling the sweetness out of the carrot and onion builds the flavor in the soup which is why it is so tasty without a bunch of complex seasonings.
Chop and GO!
One of my favorite parts about soup purees, is that the veggie prep is really carefree. You don’t need a fine, perfect dice on your veggies. It all ends up getting pureed in the end, so just a quick, coarse chop will do.
Some for now, and some for later
This cauliflower and kale soup freezes great. This batch was eaten for lunch after our hike, I packed a serving away to have for my breakfast the next day, and I packed a quart away into the freezer for another time. That is probably the only true meal planning tip you’ll ever hear from my end! Whenever I make veggie soups, I always pack a quart away into the freezer for another time. I pack thermoses for the girls twice a week, and having soup in the freezer helps with that!
Instant Pot Cauliflower & Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp ghee
- 2 medium onions, cut in half and then into strips
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 large head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
- 1 quart bone broth, (you can adjust this based on how thick or thin you prefer your soup)
- ½ cup coconut milk or cream, (or raw milk or cream)
- 1-2 cups baby kale, (baby spinach would work here too)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- Turn the Instant Pot on, and press “Saute.”. Put the ghee into the pot to melt, and add the onion and carrot with a big pinch of sea salt. Cook the onion and carrot on the “Saute” function for 5-7 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Add the garlic, stir in, and then turn the “Saute” feature “Off.”
- Once you turn the “Saute” feature off, add the cauliflower and bone broth, and put the Instant Pot lid on. Turn the valve to closed, and press the “Soup” button. Bring the time down to 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will automatically turn on, taking about 10 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 10 minutes of pressure cooking time.
- When the Instant Pot is done pressure cooking, release the valve to let the pressure out, and take the lid off the Instant Pot. Add the coconut milk and baby kale, and use your immersion blender to puree the soup until it is smooth. Add sea salt and pepper to your taste after you puree the soup.
STOVETOP METHOD:
- Melt the ghee in a large soup pot, and add the onion and carrot with a big pinch of sea salt. Saute the veg until it is soft and sweet.
- Add the cauliflower and bone broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the cauliflower is soft, and then turn the heat off.
- Add the coconut milk and baby kale, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it is smooth. Add sea salt and pepper to your taste after you puree the soup.
This looks SO good! I’m always on the lookout for new soup recipes. Can’t wait to try it!
I love the cauliflower! It would make it so creamy.
creamy cozy comfort!!
I saw this in IG and couldn’t wait for you to post the recipe. This soup is awesome and so delicious! I love that it’s so good that it can be enjoyed for breakfast too (and so yummy paired with homemade GF biscuits!). LOVE this recipe!
I never thought to pair these two for a soup! Makes so much sense now that I see your recipe 🙂
This looks so comforting and delicious! And of course I love that it’s in the IP! My whole family would be into it!
I totally agree on sauteeing veggies before cooking them for more flavor! It makes such a huge difference. This looks so healthy and comforting!
This looks perfect- and so many veggies!
I’ve been all about putting kale in soups lately! This looks so thick and creamy! Yum…
I am with you, I am not a smoothie kind of girl. I love soups….looking forward to making this!
We had a barely white Christmas too, can’t wait for more snow to come! I love your idea of soup for breakfast, I’ve been avoiding eggs, so that’s the perfect solution!
This soup looks so delicious and comforting! I have never had soup for breakfast, but why not? It’s a great idea!
Love this recipe. Can’t wait to fire up the IP to make it happen!
I love this soup! It’s so nutritious and very pretty, too!
Oh Renee, thanks! I’m in a little food funk for myself right now (going through health stuff and with a limited diet). I’m excited to make this for myself!! I need more kale, and I love the creamy, smooth and everything else about this!
This is perfect for me make in my IP! I need to eat for kale 🙂
I love making a pot of homemade soup at the beginning of the week for lunches. I don’t know if I will branch out to having soup for breakfast, but this yummy looking cauliflower and kale soup will definitely be on my lunch menu next week!
Love a warm soup during the winter season, especially after skiing or snowboarding! The perfect nourishing fuel!
Making this now but, unless I’ve totally missed it, when do you put the garlic in???
So, I made it, just added garlic after I sautéed the veggies. I left out the milk because I didn’t think it would make a big difference in the amount of soup this made. I must say, YOU ROCK! I loved this soup…really loved this soup. Sprinkled on some grated parm/romano cheese. I can’t believe how thick this soup is and thankfully, how it doesn’t taste like cauliflower, or kale, to me. Thank you so much for posting this. So far, all the recipes of yours I have tried, they have been great. Keep them coming!!!
Hi Lamideel!
Thank you for catching that on the garlic! I have updated the recipe card.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! It is definitely a popular one at my house too!
I love this soup! I am trying to avoid dairy & don’t get along the best with coconut milk …. so I add a zucchini halfway through cooking the onion and carrot. It helps add creaminess and I love it! I echo the comment above. You Rock! 🙂
Love that! Yum!
This soup is so amazing! Easy to make and so delicious!! I will be making this again and again!
Hi Kristen! So glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah! I have a head of cauliflower to use and a few sprigs of kale that I will add in with the other veggies. I’m always so inspired by your recipes and content.
I hope you enjoyed the soup Angela!
Would frozen cauliflower work?
I think that would be fine!
i have the smaller instapot – hoping that will be okay. Already started making it for tonight!
Hi Logan! I think I have some space left at the top of mine so a smaller model should be ok! Otherwise you can always halve the recipe!
My two year old adores this! He is not usually into vegetables, but he will eat this anytime. We call it “salty soup” because I generously salted it and this little boy adores salt. (Still way less sodium than the store bought options!) I have frozen the leftovers in cubes and he is loving it for breakfast or lunch.
I just love that so much Natalie! Thank you for sharing! Great tip on the freezer cubes!