Creamy Autumnal Soup (Vegetarian)

 

Recipe from Alice's Kitchen

Yield:  Approximately 8 servings

Sometimes the best meals come together from culling ingredients out of the fridge.  Now that we are living in the big city, I have access to Trader Joe's. On a friend's recommendation, I bought Trader Joe's Holiday Vegetable Hash. She had told me that her daughter would saute the hash in a skillet and then top the hash with egg-over-easy.  I did that and it was great, since the husband won't eat anything but his precious oatmeal for breakfast, I had quite a bit of the uncooked hash leftover.  So, I used it plus what I had in the fridge and pantry to make this decadently delicious soup good enough for company.  I served it up with homemade Double Corn Quinoa Cheddar Muffins that I thawed from the freezer. (If you don't have a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, you can still make this delicious soup. You'll just have to take a few extra steps.) 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

3 scallions, sliced

1 (18 oz.) package Trader Joe's Holiday Hash**

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 cups vegetable broth

1 (5.2 oz.) package Boursin Cheese with Garlic & Fine Herbs

1 cup heavy cream, half & half, or milk

Add the olive oil to a soup pot.  Add the onion, garlic, scallions, the hash, thyme, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the pot.  Saute until the onion is translucent.  Add the vegetable broth.  Bring it to a boil.  Add the cauliflower.  Turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower and all the other veggies are tender.  Using a stick blender, blend until somewhat creamy with some vegetable texture still present.  Add the cheese and the cream.  Heat until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Stir well.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.  

**The ingredients for Trader Joe's Holiday Hash are: Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Red Onion, Celery, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Sage, Fresh Rosemary (Ingredients are finely chopped.)