Garlicky White Bean Soup with Truffle Oil and Croutons

What do you do during a blizzard that blankets over 24 inches at your home?  You make soup: Lots of soup.  I love creamy soups without using cream that adds fat and calories.  In this soup I used a head of cauliflower as the base to create a creamy texture with out using cream or half and half.  I have to say that I love this garlicky richly flavorful soup that I added a drizzle of white truffle oil and home make croutons.  So good and so easy to make.


Garlicky White Bean Soup with White Truffle Oil and Croutons

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 cup chopped leeks, white and pale green parts only
8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 boxes(32 ounces) vegetable broth
1 head cauliflower, use the florets
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cans(15.5) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

White Truffle Oil for drizzling

Heat oil in a large pot.  Add onion, leeks, and garlic: saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add vegetable broth bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add cauliflower, thyme and rosemary. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is very tender about 1 hour.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth.  Return soup to pot, add beans, cover and simmer for half hour.  Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup in to bowls, drizzle with white truffle oil and top with croutons.

Homemade Croutons

1 loaf french or Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup(1 stick butter)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.Melt butter in large pan.  Add garlic sauteing for 2 minutes just to release the flavor.  Add cubed bread stirring to cover with butter and garlic.  Continues stirring for about 2 minutes until all the butter is absorbed in the cubes.  Transfer croutons to baking pan and bake for 2 minutes. Turn croutons over in pan and bake for another 2 minutes until croutons are crunchy and golden.
Dry croutons for about 1 hour,  Croutons can be stored in an air tight container for 1 week or frozen for 2 months.

Enjoy!