Celeriac Soup
User Reviews
5.0
39 reviews
Excellent
Celeriac Soup
Report
Recipe video above. Celeriac is an unsung hero of the vegetable world! It makes a wonderful creamy Celeriac Soup that's an elegant near pure-white colour, and happens to be low carb. It's thick, creamy and comforting. Texture like potato but better flavour - tastes mildly like celery but with earthy, nutty undertones.Make it as a sophisticated first course for a dinner party, or just a cosy dinner for midweek.This easily makes enough soup for 5 people as a meal (with some crusty bread on the side!)
Share:
Ingredients
- 60g / 4 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 onion , diced (brown or yellow)
- 1/2 leek (white part only) , diced into 1cm / ½" cubes (~ 3/4 cup, Note 1)
- 3 celery stems , diced into 1cm / ½" cubes (~1 1/2 cups)
- 800g / 1.6 lb (peeled weight) celeriac , cut into 2cm / ⅘" cubes (~1kg / 2lb unpeeled, Note 2)
- 200g / 7oz potato , peeled, cut into 2cm / 4/5" cubes (floury or all-rounder – about 1 large; Note 3)
- 1.5 litres / quarts (6 cups) water , or stock if you prefer
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup cream , full fat (pure, thickened or heavy, Note 4)
Spice Sachet (Note 5):
- 1 bay leaf , fresh
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorn (go without if no sachet)
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (1/8 tsp powder if no sachet)
Garnish/Serving:
- croutons (Note 6)
- olive oil , for drizzling
- 1 tbsp chives , finely chopped (sub parsley or chervil)
Instructions
- Spice and herb sachet: Bundle the bay leaf, thyme, black peppercorns and coriander seeds loosely in a small piece of cheesecloth to create a sachet. Tie with cooking twine to secure.
- Cook onion and leek: Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, leek, celery and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until onion is soft but not golden. Don't rush this part – this creates an important flavour base so we can make this soup using water not stock.
- Cook celeriac and potato: Add celeriac and potato. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the outside of the celeriac and potato starts to soften. Be careful to not colour the celeriac - we're going for a white soup here!
- Simmer 25 minutes: Add salt, pepper, Spice and Herb Sachet, and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes (no lid) until celeriac is very soft.
- Cream: Add cream, simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Blitz: Remove Sachet, then blitz until fully smooth using your method of choice: Stick blender (~ 3 mins), or cool slightly and do in a blender in batches (Note 5)
- Adjust seasoning: Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serving: Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with croutons and chives, drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crusty bread for dunking!
Notes
- Leek – Use the white part and very, very pale green part only. Cut in half lengthwise, then peel off each layer and wash thoroughly (dirt tends to gather between layers). Then chop.
- Celeriac – Also called celery root, this knobbly thing is a root vegetable that's part of the celery family. It also tastes a bit like celery but with a subtle nutty, earthy flavour. Think of it a low-carb alternative to potato!
- How to peel celeriac: Slice the stems and leaves off, as well as any wiry roots at the base. Then use a potato peeler to peel the skin off. You will likely need to go over it a couple of times to get all the skin off because it's thicker and rougher than a potato.
- Potato – All-rounders or floury potatoes are required here rather than waxy ones. Australia: Sebago (brushed dirt potatoes) are great. US: Russet or Yukon Gold. UK: Maris Piper.
- Cream – Because we're making this soup with water rather than stock, we really do need cream to add flavour, body and some richness to the mouthfeel. If you really want to cut out the cream, the result isn't the same (obviously!). Here are the best alternatives I can think of:
- Sachet alternatives – Using a sachet allows us to infuse the soup with the herb and spice flavours without ending up with dark specks in the otherwise nearly pure-white soup.
- If you don't have cheesecloth to make a sachet (what, you mean you haven't tried Palak Paneer yet? 😂), then do as follows: Put bay leaf and thyme into soup, and 1/8 tsp coriander powder (skip the pepper). You will end up with some little thyme leaves bits in the soup rather than a sparkly clean white soup, but that's ok! If it bothers you, strain it.
- Blending soup (important!) – If using a blender, allow the soup to cool slightly and blend in batches, only filling the blender about 1/3 of the way max. Place lid on but remove the cap so there's an open hole. Cover the hole with a folded tea towel then blend. If you have the lid sealed and the blender too full, you can end up with a soup explosion!! Literally, soup on the ceiling. Been there, done that!
- Croutons – Cut any bread (crustless) into 0.75 cm / 1/3” cubes. Toss in a little olive oil to coat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 min, tossing halfway, until golden and crunchy. Cool fully on tray before using.
- Storage – This soup will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. I haven't tried freezing but don't see any reason why it wouldn't freeze well!
- Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
- Low-fat cream – You won't get the same finish, but this is a simple alternative;
- Veg stock – Make a healthier option by using 1.5L vegetable stock (low sodium) instead of water, and skip the cream and salt; or
- Evaporated milk in place of cream.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
371cal
(19%)
Carbohydrates
28g
(9%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
28g
(43%)
Saturated Fat
17g
(85%)
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
91mg
(30%)
Sodium
1000mg
(42%)
Potassium
813mg
(23%)
Fiber
5g
(20%)
Sugar
5g
(10%)
Vitamin A
1280IU
(26%)
Vitamin C
25mg
(28%)
Calcium
144mg
(14%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 5people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 371 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 371cal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 28g | 43% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 91mg | 30% |
| Sodium | 1000mg | 42% |
| Potassium | 813mg | 17% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 1280IU | 26% |
| Vitamin C | 25mg | 28% |
| Calcium | 144mg | 14% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
39 reviews
Excellent
Other Recipes
You'll Also Love
Chicken Soup With Dumplings (Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Soup)
American, Pennsylvania Dutch
0.0
(0 reviews)
