Ever buy a bunch of celery for a recipe that only needs a few stalks? Then you are left with the rest of the bunch, which may or may not sadly wilt until it is unusable in the back of the crisper drawer. This simple, creamy, and unctuous celery soup is the solution! I make this soup anytime I have an onion (always) and leftover celery on hand. Thanks to garlic, bone broth, and butter (and plenty of salt) the soup tastes incredibly rich without the need for cream. It is so good, despite being so simple, that I actually find myself buying celery just to make it!
Celery is such a healthy veggie packed with fiber, antioxidants, and something called pectin-based polysaccharides, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. You can read more about the health benefits here and here. All in all, celery is the humblest of superfoods. However, in spite of the benefits, the only time I really like to eat celery is with buffalo wings… and sometimes other dips. I try to find ways to eat more, like this sausage skillet recipe – but I would be lying if I said it was one of my fave veggies.
However, I am in love with this soup! Creamy, rich, and laced with savory celery flavor, this simple soup makes me appreciate the nuance of celery and how delightful it can be given the proper flavor boost.
Like all soups, the flavor will depend on the quality of your broth. Any opportunity to get bone broth into my system I take – hence using bone broth in this recipe. I make my own and I keep it neutral in flavor so I can season it as needed for whatever recipe. The bone broth I usually have on hand is beef, but chicken is also super delicious here. If you are vegetarian, or just have a good veggie broth on hand, that will work as well but may not result in as rich of a soup. This is because a good bone broth is packed with collagen, which is what makes it gel up. It is thick resulting in a velvety texture in the soup, not unlike cream. While you can sub a different broth, the butter is non-negotiable. Despite only using two tablespoons, it adds so much flavor! So, do not skip/sub it.
This soup will keep for 3 days in the fridge and 6 months or more in the freezer. Since it is blended, there is no loss of texture with storage. To reheat, simply pour into a sauce pan with a lid and heat, covered, over medium low until it comes to the temperature you like.
Simple Celery Soup
Servings: makes 4-6 cups, depending on how much celery you have
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- A bunch of celery (a scant pound or less), ends cut off, rinsed, and chopped
- One small onion (any color), diced
- Bone broth (enough to cover the celery and onion)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- Salt
How-to:
- Add butter to a large sauce pan over medium.
- When butter melts, add diced onion. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic to onion and sauté another minute.
- Add celery and sauté until bright green and starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add bone broth. You will want to just cover the veggies to have a nice thick soup. If you want a more liquid texture, add another cup or so.
- Add a tsp. of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, or until celery is very tender.
- Transfer to a blender (or use a stick blender) and blend until completely smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.
Note: If soup tastes bland you need more salt. Trust me. This soup needs plenty to shine. Keep adding salt, a pinch at a time, until the soup tastes rich and flavorful (but it should not taste ‘salty’ which means you have gone too far).
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