Loaded Baked Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Coconut Bacon

This Vegetarian Loaded Baked Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Coconut Bacon is the perfect weeknight meal on a chilly evening. Serve it with as many or as little topping as you have on hand.

Soup season is in full swing in our house! I’ve been trying to be better about meal prepping on Sundays so making a big batch of soup has been such an easy way to coordinate weekday lunches ahead of time. I often times find myself getting bored with the texture of pureed soups so I love how this soup is creamy but simple enjoy that it leaves room for all sorts of topping. The toppings not only then add texture but also additional flavor to keep each bite interesting and satisfying. 

This soup is slightly adapted from the cookbook Healthyish. I haven’t made too many recipes from it just yet but I’ve really enjoyed it so far – the recipes are familiar and simple but with lots of fun flavor combos.

What I really love about this recipe is that it’s comforting to the max with a satisfying potato flavor but has a hidden secret: cauliflower. By blending some cauliflower into the potato mixture, you still are able to achieve a ‘baked potato’ flavor without having the entire soup be just one starch vegetable. Another great thing about this soup is that you can add as many or as little topping as you’d like so you can customize based on what you have on hand or how much time you have. When it comes to toppings – think of anything you might put on a baked potato (sour cream, buffalo sauce, “bacon”, cheese, roasted veggies, dill, etc). 

Both the soup and coconut bacon can be made ahead of time – just make sure to store them separately in sealed containers in the fridge until ready to enjoy. 

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Loaded Baked Potato and Cauliflower Soup with Coconut Bacon

This Vegetarian Loaded Baked Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Coconut Bacon is the perfect weeknight meal on a chilly evening. Serve it with as many or as little topping as you have on hand.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup large coconut flakes
• 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• Topping ideas: chives, sour cream, feta, tomatoes, buffalo sauce, shredded cheese, dill, etc
• Salt / Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 7 to 10 minutes or until softened. Add potatoes, cauliflower, and hefty pinchful of salt to the pan and saute for another minute.
   

2. Add vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
   

3. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
   

4. For the coconut bacon: preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the liquid smoke, soy sauce, and maple syrup in a bowl. Fold the coconut flakes into the liquid smoke mixture until they are completely coated with the sauce. Transfer to the baking sheet and spread out onto a single layer. Baked for 20 minutes, shaking and stirring the flakes every 3-5 minutes to prevent from burning (do it more frequently towards the end as they are very prone to burning right before ready).

5. To serve: Divide the soup between bowls and top with chives, coconut bacon, sour cream, feta, tomatoes, buffalo sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you've prepared.