Best Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain

The Andalusian winter is here again with some historical records of low temperatures, but don’t worry, the Spanish recipes are our best ally to fight back.

The Spanish soup recipes are the first weapons to combat the cold weather, and with the ham and cauliflower soup from Spain, you have a healthy, hearty, and easy recipe that you can make.

In this article, we will show you the recipe step-by-step, and you will also get some expert tips on how to store, serve, and customize this Spanish soup to your liking.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish soup recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Spanish Lentil Soup with Ham

• Leek and celery soup

• Spanish ham and bean soup

Background of the Dish

Although it combines traditional ingredients from the region, the ham and cauliflower soup from Spain is one of the newest Spanish soup recipes to be created in Andalusia.

In the past few years the cauliflower experienced a resurgence and became one of the most popular vegetables due to its health benefits, cost-effectiveness, and its neutral flavor, allowing it to pair well with many different ingredients.

So once the cauliflower soup became a thing in the South, it didn’t take too long until the ham and cauliflower soup from Spain (in most cases made with serrano ham) was developed.

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Things You’ll Need for Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain

To prepare this recipe for Spanish soup you need cauliflower, ham, carrot, potatoes, onion, garlic cloves, chicken or vegetable broth, and paprika as the main ingredients.

The finished result of this ham and cauliflower soup from Spain will be better if you have an immersion blender or a regular one so that you can blend the soup and make it creamy.

Ingredients

• 6 cups (1.5l) chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cauliflower
• 200g ham in a piece (or serrano ham)
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain – Step by Step Guide

1. To start, you have to chop the cauliflower into florets, discarding any inedible parts (like the leaves). Peel and chop the onion and carrots into small pieces, and cut the potatoes into bite-sized squares. Peel and mince the garlic, and chop the leek into small pieces.

2. Then, chop the ham into small cubes. If you are using ham slices, also chop them into thin pieces. Now heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced Spanish ham and sauté until it starts to golden.

3. To continue with this ham and cauliflower soup recipe, add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot. Cook until the onions are translucent.

4. Now stir in the sliced leek, diced potatoes, and sliced carrot. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and stir well.

5. For the next step on this ham and cauliflower soup from Spain recipe, sprinkle smoked paprika and ground cumin over the vegetables. Stir to coat the vegetables evenly with the spices.

6. After that, pour in the chicken or vegetable broth, add the bay leaf, and bring the Spanish soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

7. Then, season the cauliflower ham soup with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove the bay leaf from the pot and discard it.

8. Now, use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer it to a blender in batches and blend until smooth. This is optional but it is the key to reaching the creamy consistency.

9. For the final step of this recipe, you just have to serve the Spanish cauliflower soup hot, and you can garnish it with additional diced Spanish ham if desired.

Substitution of Ingredients

This ham and cauliflower soup from Spain is super simple to make but it is even easier to customize the ingredients that you can use in this recipe.

For example, to turn this Spanish ham soup into a vegan recipe you would have to use vegetable broth and use vegan ham, or another ingredient such as beans, tofu, lentils, etc.

For a more hearty cauliflower soup, you can add chopped chorizo, pork, or even more ham to the recipe, and in this case the chicken broth would add some extra richness.

The creaminess of this Spanish soup recipe comes from blending the vegetables, but to make it richer you can replace one cup of broth with one cup of heavy cream.

Instead of the regular ham or the serrano ham, you can prepare this as a Spanish ham bone soup, just make sure to adapt the cooking time or buy the ham precooked.

You can also make this soup chunkier by blending just half of the quantity an leave the rest of the ingredients unblinded. It’ll give this soup a creamier texture.

Try the lentil soup with ham bone if you love ham and want to make another authentic Spanish soup.

Tips on Serving Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain

The ham and cauliflower soup from Spain is the perfect main dish for any winter meal: from lunch to dinner, a plate of this soup will fill you up immediately.

However, just like other Spanish soups you can easily turn it into a side dish or an appetizer, in that case, you would have to serve it in smaller bowls and with fewer toppings so as to not overpower the main dish.

To add more texture to this ham and cauliflower soup from Spain you can serve it topped with toasted nuts, more serrano ham, bacon bits, or chopped parsley to add freshness.

Give a go to other Spanish soup recipes that are equally delicious like the Spanish oxtail soup, the hot Spanish garlic soup or the easy-to-make Spanish rice soup.

How to Store Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain

Once you finish making this soup with Spanish ham recipe you can either serve it right away or let the soup cool to room temperature and store it for later.

In that case, you would have to place the soup in a covered container, both with plastic wrap on contact with the top of the soup (so that it doesn’t form a crust) and with a lid to prevent it from spilling.

Then, you can place the ham and cauliflower soup from Spain in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 45 days (after that, thaw overnight or for 12 hours).

You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stove, just make sure to stir from time to time during that process so that the ingredients get together again.

Other Spanish soup recipes that you can prepare and then store are the Spanish chorizo soup, the Spanish bacon bean soup, or the Spanish bean soup with chorizo.

Recipe Card: Ham And Cauliflower Soup From Spain

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