It was the extra bunch of celery I had that led me to the most delicious celery soup I ever made and a recipe I found accommodated my needs with a few small changes. But cooling the cooked veggies before putting them in the blender in small doses taught me how to perfectly blend the ingredients for a creamy, tasty soup without any milk, cottage cheese or cream.
Not wanting to waste the celery, and not wanting to freeze it for use in future soups, I looked for a recipe that would provide me with an easy and nutritious soup. Chopping the vegetables was the most time consuming part of the creation, but it was more than worth it. Absolutely great with a few crackers or a couple of slices of Italian bread. And of course, with the celery and carrots in particular, it is a great recipe for eye and cardiac health as well. Low calorie, too!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided,
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (doesn’t hurt to add more)
1 leek, thinly sliced (I didn’t have one, did not notice any difference)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6 cups diced celery (about a full bunch)
1 quart chicken bone broth (or simply water, or vegetable broth)
1 ½ pounds baby yellow potatoes, peeled (I used four red potatoes, unpeeled, but cut into chunks
1 small bunch fresh parsley (didn’t have any, so used some dried parsley)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (didn’t measure because I like thyme)
½ teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend (used Greek seasoning mixture)
salt and ground black pepper to taste (used a pinch two of sea salt
I also had one lonely Granny Smith apple in the refrigerator, so I cut that into cubes and added it.
Directions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and apple; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a soup pot.
- Heat remaining olive oil in the same frying. Saute celery to release some of the moisture, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer celery to the soup pot. Add chicken broth and potatoes. If using fresh parsley, cut and add to the pot. Season soup with thyme, seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rolling simmer.
- Reduce heat and simmer until carrots, celery, and potatoes are soft enough to easily puree, about 30 minutes. Avoid cooking vegetables until mushy. Remove from heat and cool for about 20 minutes.
- Puree soup with an immersion blender.
- When ready to serve, simmer over low heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. (or heat a bowl in the microwave for two minutes. Serve immediately or let flavors meld overnight and serve the next day.
