Inspired by karissavegankitchen.com
Serves 4. May double; it freezes well
Cut up one large head of cauliflower into florets. Discard the stalk and leaves. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper and a little salt (or favorite salt substitute). Roast at 400 F for 30 minutes, turning halfway. Should be slightly browned on edges.
Dry-sauté the onion in a hot pan by scattering it into the pan, letting it begin to color, adding a tablespoon or more of broth, stirring, and doing it again, until the onion is golden brown. Add garlic and carrots, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add to the dry-sautéed vegetables the roasted cauliflower, plant milk, vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, onion powder, and parsley (if using dried), paprika, and thyme.
Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 15 minutes.
In my video at this point I used an emersion blender to partially blend the soup. I later decided that I would have preferred the texture of the soup if instead I carefully whirred about 2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth and creamy, and then adding it back to the rest of the soup.
Add the cooked lentils and bring back to a simmer and cook until you are happy with the doneness of the vegetables, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the chopped spinach, and simmer for 2 minutes. Serve with a salad and crusty bread.
