New England Clam Chowder is one of my favorite soups. It’s such a warm and comforting dish, but I get a little bummed with the amount of butter and cream that tends to go into a lot of versions. Today we have a cleaner version of the classic chowder that is still extra creamy and delicious that you can still feel good about! I also made this version vegan so that it can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone…. …well, except for the bacon ‘garnish’ I stuck in there because I couldn’t help myself.
The oyster crackers in this are also DELICIOUS, but not vegan because I use regular butter, but feel free to use a vegan butter! I ended up doubling the oyster cracker recipe part the last time I made this because I ended up eating all the buttery crackers before they could make it on top of the chowder, lol. Oh well. Enjoy! xx, Jenny
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Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Chowder
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 head cauliflower, outer leaves and stem removed and cut into bite sized florets
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme
- 1 teaspoon thinly sliced chives
- 1 quart vegetable stock, warmed
- salt and pepper to taste
garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup oyster crackers
- 2 teaspoons thinly sliced chives
- 1 teaspoon minced thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- cooked bacon strips, optional garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour oil into a large pot and place over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add garlic, cauliflower and herbs and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of the stock to the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Strain half the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
- Pour remaining mixture into a blender and blend until smooth, adding remaining stock, as needed, until a thick consistency has been achieved.
- Pour mixture back to the pot and stir in strained vegetables. Adjust seasonings. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from heat.
- For seasoned oyster crackers: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add oyster crackers and stir to coat in butter. Add remaining ingredients and continue to sauté for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow crackers to cool and dry.
- To serve: Pour chowder into bowls and top with oyster crackers. Garnish with strips of bacon, if using. Serve.
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Butter is not vegan so leaving the bacon out does not make this vegan… also, it’s pretty insensitive to throw bacon on a chowder that you have named a vegan chowder. smh…. I think it could have been presented in a way to accomodate vegans and non vegans by removing the vegan altogether and stating it can be made vegan by omitting butter and bacon.
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this a number of times, but only the chowder itself is vegan…that isn’t including the oyster cracker garnish and the bacon garnish. I don’t think it’s insensitive or misstating, again..as the chowder itself is 100% vegan.
You’re welcome, Jenny! Glad you love it! :)
My family definitely loves anything soup, Jenny! So, I’m pretty sure they’ll love this dish as well. For those who don’t want bacon, you can replace it with shiitake mushrooms.
Oooo! I love the shiitake mushroom sub; great idea! :)
Just finished a bowl with no crackers or bacon. Excellent. I added chopped yellow squash. Mine wasnt pretty white like the picture I guess because I used Organics vegetable broth which is pretty brown. Excellent dish. Will make again. Might even add a little sweet corn next time.
This sounds fantastic and the comments are the funniest thing I’ve seen for some time! I’ve got to try it at the weekend. Just one thing… Would it be possible to include metric measures in your recipes please?