Name: Surprisingly Satisfying Cauliflower Chowder
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tsp. chopped thyme; 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 lb.), trimmed, cut into small florets; 8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes (about 10 oz.), scrubbed, each cut into eighths; 1½ cups heavy cream; 2 cups oyster crackers; 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning; 2 Tbsp. white or yellow miso; Freshly ground pepper; Finely chopped chives or scallions and lemon wedges (for serving)

Chowder soup with cauliflower potatoes and celery topped with OldBay oyster crackers and chopped chives.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness

Any soup can be a chowder if you follow the right moves. Creamy base? Tender potatoes? A flourish of oyster crackers? Congratulations, it’s a chowder. This cauliflower version, with not even a whiff of clams or bacon, proves the point.

A generous scoop of miso stirred in at the end provides briny, savory depth. This recipe makes a chowder that feels substantial but remains flowy. If you like a particularly thick, stewy chowder, simply cook it for longer on the stovetop.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

All the Recipes From Bon Appétit’s Art and Design Issue
We’ve got shrimp and pea pancakes, strawberry-rhubarb cheesecake bars, and more.

Shrimp Scampi Bisque

This garlicky shrimp scampi version of a classic bisque embraces the technique of blending seafood shells for a luxuriously silky and creamy end result.

Vegetarian Italian Wedding Soup

A bowl of comfort with ricotta “meatballs,” tiny pasta, and lots of greens.

Butternut Squash Orzo With Fried Sage

Canned butternut squash purée (find it by the canned pumpkin!) makes this cozy, cold-weather recipe come together in a snap.

Gnocchi Piccata

All the flavors of chicken piccata, only instead of meat, the dish is built upon plump potato gnocchi (the shelf-stable kind) in this no-boil one-pan recipe.

Buttermilk Corn Pasta

This pasta starring summer corn achieves its savory, creamy sauce thanks to one special ingredient: buttermilk powder.

Camélia’s Sweet Potato Gratin

With salty-sweet miso butter, chives, and savory flakes of nori, this cheesy sweet potato gratin recipe bears little resemblance to traditional versions.

Weeknight Pumpkin Chili

A can of pumpkin purée adds richness, body, and an autumnal hue to this speedy chili, letting the flavors of the spices, aromatics, and ground beef shine.

Green Pasta e Fagioli

This riff on the Italian classic comfort food gets its verdant color from kale two ways: blended into the base, and wilted among the pasts and white beans.

Recipe notes

All the Recipes From Bon Appétit’s Art and Design Issue