Day 20: Tomato Cauliflower Chorizo Soup

My doll making friend Kimberly of The Artful Attic shared a great recipe for Poor Man's Spaghetti Soup which had cauliflower florets in it that you sautee in olive oil until brown. That intrigued me. I really liked her recipe.

On the 2nd day, I fished out the pasta because someone in my house is doing lower carb, and added some extra veggies and chorizo for spice. This is also a good soup recipe, just in time for 30 degree weather.  So I tried to write down what I did as if I were going to make it from scratch. This is the kind of soup that gets better with each reheating.

Tomato Cauliflower Chorizo Soup

1 head cauliflower cut into florets
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 ribs celery, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped 1" chunks
2 links Old Neighborhood chorizo, diced
Fresh basil to taste (or dried)
(2) Two 14 oz cans Tuitoresso stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can petite chopped tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 1/2 quarts water or chicken broth
1-2 cups cooked winter squash, added at end.

Sautée cauliflower until cauliflower browns along edges. Add garlic. Sautee a bit more then remove from pan to crockpot.

Sautee chorizo, garlic, onion, celery, carrots and sautee until onions are translucent.  Add to crockpot along with rest of canned ingredients and water or broth.

Cook 6-8 hours on low.   Optional: add 1-2 cups of cooked winter squash.