This soup is so exciting and special to me because it’s the first (and only) recipe that I’ve made that uses all parts of the dandelion plant (except for the roots)! The leaves, the flower petals, and the closed buds are simmered with spices over low heat, then finished with some cream and parmesan cheese, for a very warm, comforting, satisfying soup.
I must admit, when I first came across this recipe, I only decided to make it because Mr. B insisted we make something with the flowers, that didn’t involve cookies, muffins, or anything sweet. Not because he doesn’t like sweets, but because he wanted to see if this garden weed could really go the distance and make a healthy, nutritious dinner item. We had already tackled the greens with great success, but the flowers were still slacking.
And then it happened; I hit the jackpot of dandelion flower recipes when I came across this awesome post from Eat the Weeds. It’s crazy because when I was researching for the first part of this series, I couldn’t find any dinner recipes that used the flower petals. Then today, I looked out into my yard and found all of this:
I got so excited and knew I had to dig just a little deeper in the internet world to find some way to use up all those flowers in tonight’s dinner! Lo and behold, that recipe post miraculously appeared in my search results, and the rest, as they say, is history – warm, sweet, creamy history, that is!
I modified the recipe a bit and came up with this version, which was so good, both Mr. B and I went back for seconds. Like I said, I was skeptical at first. It’s not like your typical “cream of” soups with their thicker textures; no, this is a bit thinner and looks more like a coconut milk dish than a soup. It smells wonderful and tastes amazing! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did 🙂
We had this along with the Dandelion Blossom Burgers, which was a great combination!
This recipe is from a 2-part series on cooking with dandelions. For more info and recipes, please visit:
Dandelions: Friend or Foe? Part 1 (Greens)
Dandelions: Friend or Foe? Part 2 (Flowers)
This recipe was adapted from here.
| Cream of Dandelion Soup |
- 2 cups chopped dandelion leaves
- 1 cup dandelion flower petals, divided
- 1 cup dandelion buds
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 1 Tbsp butter or oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup half-n-half or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon each: salt, dried parsley, dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon each; cumin, garlic powder
- chopped green onion, for garnish
- lemon juice, optional
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add the dandelion leaves and boil until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
- In a heavy-bottom soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in butter or oil on medium heat, until tender.
- Add 2 cups water.
- Reserve a couple spoonfuls of the petals for garnishing, and put aside.
- Add dandelion leaves, flower petals, buds, celery, and spices to the pot.
- Lower heat and simmer gently 45 minutes or so.
- Add cream and parmesan cheese, and simmer a few minutes more.
- Serve immediately and garnish with flower petals, green onion, and lemon juice.
This post was shared here: Monday Mania, Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Mondays, My Meatless Mondays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Sunday Night Soup Night
[tssig]
I didn’t think you could use all the parts of the dandelion, fascinating. My grandmother would have loved this recipe. Do you know anything about Dandelion wine? The old Italians in my neighborhood growing up swore it was a magic elixir.
It really is fascinating, Diane! In researching about the uses for the flowers, I came across a lot of people making wine from them. We don’t drink so I never got too far into the research from that area, but I’ve also read that steeping the leaves as a tea makes for a great tonic too!
Wow, I didn’t even know dandelions are edible! But I love the gorgeous yellow color of the soup, so pretty! I’m hosting a weekly blog carnival specifically for soups and stocks/broths (and other soupy dishes such as chowders/stews/chilis), every Sunday! I would love you to come and post this recipe. Just stop by my blog on Sunday – the link will be up!
http://www.easynaturalfood.com
I hope to see you there:)
Debbie
I didn’t know either up until last year, and this year is the first that I’ve tried my hand at a few recipes. They really are amazing! Thanks for inviting me to your blog hop! I’ve gone ahead and pinned it so I don’t forget. See you on Sunday!
Hi Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share this with Sunday Night Soup Night! I’ll be hosting every week so I’d love to see you again with your next soup/stock/chowder/stew/chili recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for inviting me! I think I may have a few things in the pipeline over the next few weeks, so I’ll be back for sure! I’ve added your page to my “Linky Parties” page 🙂
That looks great! I had soooo many things I wanted to do with the first flush of spring dandelions, but only managed to gather enough to make some wild dandelion & raw honey soap. I’m not sure where they all went this year – we usually have tons!! I love all of your ideas!
I have chosen this soup as one of my top 3 picks from Sunday Night Soup Night! I have tweeted it, pinned it and shared it on my Facebook page. It will be featured on Sunday Night Soup Night this coming Sunday. Thanks for linking up and I hope to see you again soon!
Wow, thanks Debbie! I’m really honoured! I’ll put up your button on the post to show that it was featured at your site. Thanks again!
A whole new exciting world. Thank you. My small Allergy group, based in south UK, is searching for new ways of finding the route to life improvement through food.and knowledge.
Allergy understanding is in short supply, our off-the-shelf food is adulterated and increasingly expensive, and the need to reduce medication dependence is essential. Conventional thinking has failed us, and we are seeing Allergic conditions reaching epic proportions.
A search of fantastic US websites has led us to natural, foraged, home-grown ingredients, and mindful of the need for affordability for our increasingly disadvantaged members, if any can offer help in creating recipes for our website, for the benefit for all, we would be eternally grateful.
Has anyone yet made this dandelion soup? If so, what did it taste like?