Cheesey Cauliflower Soup

I've been wanting to come up with a cauliflower soup recipe for quite a while and I finally took a minute to do it!  And I don't know why it took me so long because it was so easy came together super fast.  I have to give credit to Zupas for helping me fall in love with the stuff.  Theirs is addicting - have you tried it?  I'm by no means claiming this is a copycat recipe or tastes just like Zupas but it definitely turned out DELICIOUS!!  Another big perk is that it only takes 30 minutes start to finish.

Cheesey Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup dried minced onions
• 2 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth (OR 3 cups water and 3 tsp chicken bouillon)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 Tb flour
• 2 cups cheese, grated
• Bacon pieces (optional) 

Directions:

• Cut leaves and core out of caulflower and place in large pan
• Add minced onions, up to 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
• Pour 2 cups milk and chicken broth over it
• Cook over medium-high heat until cauliflower is very tender.  Stir frequently to avoid burning on the bottom of the pan.  As you stir, break the cauliflower up into smaller pieces
• Once cauliflower is soft, use a hand mixer (or egg beater) to mash the cauliflower up.  I did this right in the pan. (note:  if you'd prefer a more pureed texture, you'll want to pour your soup into a blender at this point and blend it up.  I like the pieces of cauliflower so the hand mixer worked great for me)
• Combine 1/2 cup milk with flour and stir well then pour into soup while stirring constantly
• Allow a few minutes for soup to thicken
• Add cheese and stir until well melted
• Serve with bacon pieces on top for a garnish

If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times... everything's better with bacon!!