Yes, the quantity of flavor stuff seems low vs the quantity of base stuff (potato, cauliflower). I would start by adding more butter and garlic on general principles, then add heat (I use white pepper and wasabi) and carefully more lemon juice.

Potatoes? Chives and Dill

I would have included celery, but it shouldn't be bland as is. First question, is your taster compromised? Stuffy nose, etc.? If not, I have to suppose that all that potato sucked up the flavor and cream can mute flavors. But it also sounds like a base rather than a finished soup. Your additions sound like they'll taste good. In general, .however, to unbland it, I'd add some browned onion and garlic, first, and pepper, but that's me. Maybe even some toasted potato skins. Once it had good flavor, I'd consider the others as a la minute toppings.

I think the quality of the stock would be important. What did you use? I wouldn't use dill with cauliflower. It's presumably a white soup so I would not brown the onions but rather saute without colouring. Nutmeg, mustard, cheese and parsley all marry well with it. Thyme is good but 1 tsp is not much. Also did you get a good quality cauliflower and break it up? Or did you use a bag of florets? I find pre prepared vegetables to be pretty tasteless. I think the soup should be ok if the ingredients were of high enough quality. The simpler the recipe the better they need to be.

It’s similar to one of Emeril Lagasse’s potato soup recipes that I like — main components are chicken stock, potatoes, leeks, bacon, thyme, white wine, and cream. This recipe seems like it, but I don’t remember any peppercorns. Hence, to up the flavor of your soup, I’d think of adding bacon or ham, some white wine, etc.

Needs cayenne.

Thanks All!

~John, I think you have a good point regarding base/flavor. I did add a bit more lemon. It’s something I do often with soups…lemon or red (or white) wine vinegar.

~rob, I added the dill…chives would be good!

~plllog, my taster seems okay. I do think the potatoes can suck up flavor. For one thing, they always need plenty of salt IMO.

~floral, I did use a head of cauliflower and my own stock. Dried thyme always seems fairly potent to me so the 1 tsp. seemed like enough. IDK, maybe not.

~party, one of my favorite soups is a potato cheese from the Silver Palate. It does include dill and sharp Cheddar.

I’ll add the dill and Cheddar and see what I get. DH suggested bacon in the soup vs garnish.

It sounds like my broccoli cheddar soup, which is very flavorful. You can take some ideas from this to see what may work for your soup. I have never tried it with cauliflower but I'm sure it'd be delicious.

Saute chopped onions and curry powder in butter, add sliced carrots, cubed potatoes, peeled broccoli stems, and chicken broth. Simmer until tender. Puree HALF of the soup. Return to pan, add broccoli flowerets and simmer until tender. Add whole milk or cream. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted.

I think the recipe looks really good, I'm not sure why it would seem bland, with the lemon, butter, onion, garlic, etc.

I've made a simple blended cauliflower soup from Splendid Table, their trick is to reserve some cauliflower florets to fry in browned butter as a garnish, which is very tasty. Browned sage leaves in butter are another fave of mine for soup garnish.

After looking at it again 1 teaspoon salt to 1 pound of potatoes , does not seem like enough salt.

Sounds good, Eileen…thanks!

lat62, I don’t get the complete lack of flavor, either. I love the sound of the florets in browned butter.

Sherry, right, not nearly enough salt which is why I kept adding more. It actually calls for over 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes, along with 1 pound of cauliflower. I knew 1 tsp. salt wouldn’t cut it.

This is the Potato Cheese Soup recipe I like from the Silver Palate. Simple but lots of flavor.

Potato Cheese Soup

4 T. butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
6 parsley sprigs
5 cups chicken stock (I use 6 cups)
2 large potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs., peeled and cubed (3-4 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh dill (I use a generous half cup)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups grated sharp (or extra sharp) Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onions and carrots and cook over low heat, covered, until veggies are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add parsley, stock, and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Add dill, remove soup from heat, and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Puree soup in pot with immersion blender (OR pour soup through a strainer and transfer solids to food processor blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and add additional cooking liquid, about 3-4 cups, until soup reaches desired consistency.).

Set over low heat, add more salt and pepper to taste, and gradually stir in grated cheese. When all cheese is incorporated and soup is hot (not boiling), serve immediately.

Cheese is also salty. If you're used to potato cheese soup, that could be the big difference. Plus parsley and dill are each a lot more assertive than thyme. But generally ”bland” means needs salt. Even though you added a lot more, your thoughts went to cheddar—I think you were telling yourself you wanted more salt. ;)

Seems a lot like a chowder without seafood. Would it be crazy to add clams?

If it's meant to be vegetarian, curry powder goes well with cauliflower

I was going to write what carolb suggested. I'd add a couple cans of chopped clams.

"Plus parsley and dill are each a lot more assertive than thyme." I really don't find that to be the case. Thyme is very pungent to my taste. I use it a lot.

I didn’t say anything about dill and cheddar, but I agree that thyme is a strong and distinctive herb.

Nor did I. I was referencing your opinion about parsley and dill being more pungent that thyme. No mention of cheddar.

I wonder if this is another we grow different vegetables thing, or another they taste different because of genetics thing? Thyme is quite nice, and it grows like a weed, three varieties, in my garden, but fresh picked, home dried, fancy commercial or mass market, none of it has a strong flavor. Delicate and interesting, yes, but not strong. Whereas parsley (which I gave up growing because it attracted snails to everything else while they ate it all), especially curly parsley, not including flat, has a very strong flavor, fresh or dried. It's mostly ”green” but distinctly parsley. I only have (not proven by science, but strong case by logic) one allele of the hate cilantro gene, but could that affect perception of cousin parsley? I don't know. I like parsley, and use it often.

Update…the dill and sharp Cheddar did help quite a bit though I won’t repeat the recipe. The dill/Cheddar brought it closer to the Silver Palate recipe I mentioned.

I love thyme and dried thyme is almost always fairly assertive to my taste buds, but I know we all can differ with herbs/spices. I can take a hint of cumin and no more. I definitely have the cilantro gene and have to have it with certain things. Can’t imagine salsa without it.

Carol and Olychick, I could see using the clams. DH would’ve been happy!

ETA - I really think salt was the main issue, and I should’ve known better. Sherry was right; a pound of potatoes alone could use more than 1 tsp. salt, as can be the case with starches. This was over 1.5 pounds PLUS the pound of cauliflower. John also mentioned the flavor to base issue. In the end I probably added a scant tablespoon of salt. Also, the cheese added some with the soup not being overly salty. I often raise an eyebrow with Ina G and her use of salt, but sometimes it does work.

Not about your soup, but your comment about Ina Garten and her use of salt. I often wonder when I read the comments about Ina's overuse of salt how many people are aware of the difference in the brand Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and Morton's Kosher Salt. They are not interchangeable; Morton's has a much higher sodium content. Chefs and cookbook authors tend to prefer Diamond Crystal for its lower sodium content, but they rarely state that in their recipes.

It sounds like a base to a soup. I would add broccholi or some seafood

lizbeth, good point regarding the Diamond Crystal. I agree it makes a difference. Ina’s recipes do call for kosher salt but no suggestion of brand.

I was thinking more about the salt - often, I find that's all something needs to improve the flavor. My personal rule of thumb in dishes is approx. 1 tsp. for every 2-3 cups or pound.

I would add curry powder to it. I make my own curry spice mix, but you can buy curry spices already blended, especially at an Indian market.

Carol, I totally agree about the salt. Lots of cooks I know tend to under season. Some for health reasons and some just a preference. Others can be just lack of experience. For optimum flavor, there’s something to be said regarding cooks “seasoning as they go“ IMO.

Lars, curry would definitely make a difference. I do like it but only as a ”hint” of flavor.

My recipe for broccoli cheddar soup that I mentioned already uses one teaspoon of curry powder to 3 cups of chicken broth.

I thought your recipe seemed too brothy, which would dilute flavor and creaminess, but it does call for a lot of potatoes. Have you tried increasing the cauliflower and decreasing the potatoes?

I don't salt soup until the end, since one can't decrease the salt. A lot of salt reduces the freezing temperature, and I usually make enough soup to freeze some. I never salt stock at all. Plus, most people's "well seasoned" is my unpleasantly salty. So, I adjust the soup at the end to whoever's eating it, and also give them permission to add salt at the table. IME, the whole layers of seasoning thing might work for an assemblage like a casserole, but salting the soup at the end works just fine. I do tell them it's okay to salt the soup, but only the old smokers ever do...

“Plus, most people's "well seasoned" is my unpleasantly salty.”

Right, I do get it’s a preference. Years ago I would wait till the end to season, then found an improvement seasoning in stages...soups, stews, stock, casseroles, etc. For me, adding salt/pepper to aromatics earlier on results in a richer, more well-rounded flavor. When I start a soup by sautéing carrots, onion, celery, garlic, salt/pepper will be there, too.

LOL, no old smokers but still some that will always add more salt no matter what!🤷‍♀️

There are a couple more factors. It's pretty easy to get inured to salt. If you use a lot, you get used to a lot, then a lot becomes less, the most people use more. I blow up like the proverbial balloon with retained water even when certain other people's “nicely seasoned” doesn't taste that salty (and I get the too much sodium headaches from MSG and even from regular salt if it's overdone, like I can eat a hotdog, if it's the only salt going, but if they're small I fill up on something else because I get a headache from more), and I eat probably too much of what might be classed as charcuterie, partially to keep my salt intake up, so I can exist with the rest of the world, and in case there isn't enough for health naturally in the vegetables. Also, taste perception dulls with age. I have nothing against your salting in stages--and I was one who thought more salt was the answer here!. Just don't make me eat it and puff up. :) I promise I don't serve bland soup! I just use other flavorings, and the natural salt in the veg, along the way, for the depth of flavor, and the added salt for finishing.

plllog, I’m 100% sure your soups are anything but bland.👍🏻

Islay, I agree about the flavorful stock. My homemade stock (I pretty much use Ina G.’s version) has what I consider good flavor. I’ve truly not had an issue with it until this particular recipe.🤷‍♀️

I agree that you want a flavorful stock. Tinned or box chicken broth is usually very bland.

Instead of adding salt, I would add an acceptable cheat fix — a bit of paste chicken bouillon such as Better Than Bouillon.

Start with a teaspoon, dissolved in a bit of water. Stir in and taste after a minute of two. This will probably make a big improvement. You can add a bit more, but go lightly as bouillon like this has a good amount of salt in it.