Recipe: Slow-cooker cauliflower, potato and white bean soup

This creamy vegetarian soup is built on humble winter staples, but the addition of sour cream and chives make it feel special.

It takes just a few minutes to throw the ingredients into the slow cooker, and the rest of the recipe is almost entirely hands-off, making it doable on a weekday. Use an immersion blender, if you have one, to purée it to a silky smooth consistency, but a potato masher works well for a textured, chunky soup.

TIME: 8 HOURS, 25 MINUTES

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks

1 pound cauliflower, chopped into large bite-sized florets and stems

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 fresh thyme sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Coarse kosher salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)

8 ounces sour cream (1 cup), at room temperature

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1/2 cup chopped chives (about 1 small bunch)

Potato chips, preferably sour cream and onion, for topping

Shredded Cheddar, for serving

1. In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the potatoes, cauliflower, beans, onion, garlic, vegetable stock, butter, wine, thyme, garlic powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cover and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 8 hours on low.

2. Remove and discard the thyme sprig, and turn off the slow cooker. Add the lemon juice. To make a completely smooth and creamy soup, purée the ingredients using an immersion blender. (Or, purée the soup in a blender in two batches, transferring the puréed soup to a different pot.) To make a chunky soup, smash the ingredients using a potato masher in the slow cooker. Stir in the sour cream and chives. Taste and add additional salt if necessary.

3. Serve in bowls topped with black pepper, crushed potato chips and shredded Cheddar. For leftovers, reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until it just barely bubbles around the edges; don’t let it boil.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.