Description
A creamy and vibrant soup made with celery, potatoes, and fresh herbs. Perfect for a comforting meal!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 6 cups celery, sliced thin (about 1 ¼–1 ½ pounds) 1 extra-large head, save some leaves for garnish
- 2 cups potatoes, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds (about ¾ lb – 1 extra-large russet peeled, or use a few yukons, unpeeled)
- 4 cups veggie or chicken broth (or 4 cups water + 1 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf (optional), remove it before blending
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, start conservatively, add more to taste or leave it out entirely
- ¼ cup fresh dill (small stems ok)
- ½ cup fresh parsley (small stems ok)
- 1/2 cup (or more) of probiotic sour cream, vegan sour cream, heavy cream or cashew cream
- Optional: Crispy celery leaves, nigella seeds, hemp seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and add the onion, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne. The liquid should just cover the veggies (if not, add a little more water). Cover, bring to a rolling boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Turn heat off, remove bay leaf and add the fresh herbs and just wilt them (don’t cook herbs or you lose the vibrant color!).
- Using an immersion blender, blend until very silky smooth – OR if using a regular blender, let cool before blending in smaller batches.
- Blend well, a full minute, until herbs are fully blended, creating a vibrant colored soup. For extra “green” color, add a handful of raw baby spinach if you like, or more fresh parsley.
- Place it back in the same pot over low heat. Stir in your choice of sour cream or any of the other options. Gently heat, careful to not over-simmer, or you may lose the lovely vibrant color.
- To make the crispy celery leaves, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Fry a “tester” celery leaf for 10-20 seconds on each side. Set on a paper towel.
- If it is crisp, continue on. Add a few at a time, not overly crowding. If not crisp, fry them a little longer. You want about 3-5 leaves per serving bowl.
- In the same oil, you could fry the nigella seeds until you just begin to hear popping. Turn heat off. Arrange the crispy celery leaves in a crescent shape. Spoon a little of the nigella seeds along with a little oil in the same shape. Sprinkle with hemp seeds if you like.
Notes
- This soup is highly customizable, feel free to adjust spices and herbs to your taste.
- Add more water or broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg