This soup stands out from standard white bean or cauliflower soups. Its wine-deglazed base with leeks builds a light, complex, and savory flavor foundation and sautéed jalapeño pepper gives it a warm, gentle kick. For an umami boost, the soup simmers with a chunk of Parmesan rind and it's finished with a bright basil pesto.
If reducing food waste is important to you, this recipe uses the entire cauliflower - stems included - to maximize texture and minimize wast.
🏃♀️ Post Summary
In a hurry? This summary covers the essential points.
- ⏰ Prep Time: 15 minutes. Cook Time: 30 minutes. Makes: 4 hearty servings.
- 👩🍳 Dietary: Naturally vegetarian, and easily made vegan — see the swaps below.
- 🔪 Meal Prep: Prep the veggies ahead of time so you can relax during the week. A full Prep Ahead Plan with storage tips is included in the post.
- 📌 Tips: Time saving ingredient substitutions and preparation tips are provided.
- 💡 Variations: A variation using roasted cauliflower is included.
- 🫙 Make it ahead: The flavors only get better overnight. Keeps 4-5 days in the fridge, or freezes for 2-3 months.
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Moderate rating since there's some meal prepping involved. But if that's done ahead, then it's Easy.
Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.
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🙋♀️ Introduction
Up here in the mountains, you know soup season has arrived the moment you step outside in the morning and can see your breath. The nights turn crisp fast at this elevation (we live at 7100 feet), and by the time October rolls around, there's already frost on the car windshield.
It's the kind of cold that makes you want something simmering on the stove all afternoon — something that fills the kitchen with the smell of leeks and garlic and makes the whole house feel warmer just from the steam.
This cauliflower and white bean soup is one of my go-to answers to that pull. It's hearty enough to be dinner on its own — especially with a hunk of crusty bread and a spoonful of pesto stirred in at the table — but simple enough that it doesn't ask much of you on a weeknight when you're already cold and tired from the day (especially if you use the Prep Ahead Plan).
If you like your soups with a little backbone, this is one of those.
If you're looking for other soups built for cold nights, this award-winning Vegetable Soup with Beans, my Vegan Creamy White Bean Soup or this Vegetable Rice Soup are all worth a look.
🫙 Prep Ahead Plan
Life is busy. If you want to make this soup during the week but can't afford the time to do the prep and finish the soup on the same evening, here's a prep ahead plan to follow. Feel free to pick and choose which items you want to do ahead.
- Cook dried white beans ahead of time if you don't used canned beans. Drain, rinse, and store in airtight containers such as jars. Label.
- Wash the celery, leek, jalapeño pepper, and cauliflower and dry well. Leeks are grown in sandy soil, so be sure to feather out the layers under running water to remove any grit.
- Dice the celery and thinly slice the leek. Slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove the pith (light green parts) and seeds and mince. Transfer the celery, leek, and jalapeño to airtight containers. I typically use jars and label them with the date. They'll keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Remove the leaves from the stem end of the cauliflower and slice the cauliflower in half through its stem. Starting with one of the halves, chop the cauliflower florets and stems into bite-sized pieces. The stems need to cook longer, so it's best to chop them into smaller pieces than the florets. Transfer 2 cups to airtight containers and label. They'll keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
- Mince the garlic and store in a small jar and label. This will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator.
- When you're ready to make the soup, start with Step 3 in the below Recipe Card. You'll need about 30 minutes to complete the soup.
⏰ Time-Saving Tips
- Use canned beans in place of cooking them from dried.
- Use pre-diced celery and buy a bag of fresh cauliflower florets if your market sells them. Slice the cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces.
👩🍳 Ideas for Possible Variations
The recipe card includes substitutions for some of the ingredients. But there are also a couple of variations that center on methods or techniques.
- Roast the cauliflower before adding it to the soup. This adds more cauliflower flavor to the soup versus simmering it in the broth.
- Purée the soup in a blender for a creamy soup.
- Blend the soup without puréing with a stick blender (hand-held immersion blender).
🥬 Make it Vegan
- Eliminate the knob of Parmesan rind.
- Substitute a vegan Parmesan-style cheese just before serving, such as this one from Follow Your Heart.
- As a note, if you eliminate the cheese, you will need to cut the jalapeño amount in half.
✅ FAQ
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 - 5 days. You can also store this soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 - 3 months.
Always be sure to bring the soup to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Cauliflower and White Bean Soup with Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup thinly sliced leek
- ¼ cup minced jalapeño pepper Or 2 tablespoons of canned roasted Hatch chiles
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower, using the florets and stems
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic or use Gourmet Garden Garlic Paste, found in the herbs area of your produce dept.
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine Pinto Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc work great
- 4 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon, Roasted Vegetable Paste
- 1 14.5-ounce can of Navy white beans or cannellini beans or 1½ cups cooked from dried
- Knob Parmesan cheese rind (about 1" piece)
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- grated Parmesan cheese optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook dried white beans if you want to use them from dried. If you use canned beans, skip to the next step.
- Prep all the veggies. See the Meal Prep Ahead Section in the below Notes if you want to prep them ahead.
- Sauté. Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven, or other heavy bottomed, large pot suitable for soup. Add the celery, leek, jalapeño and cauliflower all at once. Sauté until the celery and leeks soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze. Add the wine. Toss the veggies in it, and cook until the wine is absorbed or cooked off.
- Simmer. Add 4 cups of water, Bouillon paste, cooked beans, and a knob of Parmesan rind. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.Stir in the basil pesto.
- Serve warm with grated parmesan cheese for an optional topping.
- Store. Store leftover soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 - 5 days or in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 2-3 months. Always bring the soup to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Meal Prep Ahead Plan
- Cook dried white beans ahead of time if you don't used canned beans. Drain, rinse, and store in airtight containers such as jars. Label.
- Wash the celery, leek, jalapeño pepper, and cauliflower and dry well. Leeks are grown in sandy soil, so be sure to feather out the layers under running water to remove any grit.
- Dice the celery and thinly slice the leek. Slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove the pith (light green parts) and seeds and mince. Transfer the celery, leek, and jalapeño to airtight containers. I typically use jars and label them with the date. They'll keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Remove the leaves from the stem end of the cauliflower and slice the cauliflower in half through its stem. Starting with one of the halves, chop the cauliflower florets and stems into bite-sized pieces. The stems need to cook longer, so it's best to chop them into smaller pieces than the florets. Transfer 2 cups to airtight containers and label. They'll keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
- Mince the garlic and store in a small jar and label. This will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator.
- When you're ready to make the soup, start with Step 3 in the below Recipe Card. You'll need about 30 minutes to complete the soup.
Time-Saving Tips
- Use canned beans in place of cooking them from dried.
- Use pre-diced celery and buy a bag of fresh cauliflower florets if your market sells them. Slice the cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces.
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Nutrition
Disclamer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate for informational purposes only. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, substitutions, portion sizes, and preparation methods. If you have specific dietary or medical needs, please consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian.
Toni Sterling
Absolutely DELICIOUS! Easy to prepare. Enjoyed by all. I added two chicken breasts, roasted and shredded, for more protein as well as some extra beans. Also added an extra jalapeño. For toppings at serving time, I added one heaping teaspoon of sour cream along with what the recipe calls for. This will become a regular soup for our family. Thank you Susan, for an outstanding recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so thrilled that you made this and loved it so much!!! It's a very flexible soup as you found. Thank you so very much for letting me (and my readers know)!!!! I