Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Celeriac Soup Recipe
Questioning what to make with celeriac? Make Celeriac Soup! Superbly creamy with a sublime, close to pure-white color, it additionally occurs to be low-carb. It’s good as a something-different first course for a cocktail party or a comfy midweek dinner. It’s so versatile!
Celeriac, that knobbly brown root vegetable that sits quietly within the nook of your grocery retailer, is an unsung hero within the vegetable world. I believed it’s about time I introduced it into the limelight in a dish that stars on this low-carb marvel!
Celeriac is, as you’d guess, a part of the celery household. The leaves and stems the truth is look identical to skinny celery stalks. Nonetheless you solely eat the chunky root bulb of celeriac, and it’s usually offered with simply this half.
As you’d additionally guess, it tastes a bit like celery too however with nutty and earthy undertones.
It has a texture like potato when cooked, with a barely extra fibrous high quality. Consider it as a low-carb model of potato – it has round 1/3 of the carbohydrates.
Nearly something you are able to do with potato, you are able to do with celeriac. Roast it, boil it, mash it, sauté it – and you may even eat it uncooked if thinly sliced.
As we speak, we’re soup-ing it! It makes essentially the most splendidly creamy, silky soup with a texture just like Pumpkin Soup.
First up, the greens!
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Celeriac – You want about 1kg / 2lb complete bulb (unpeeled) to yield 800g/1.6lb after peeling. See under for learn how to peel and chop celeriac;
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Potato – This provides a little bit of physique and thickness to the soup, being a higher-starch vegetable;
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Garlic, onion, celery and leek – The fragrant base for the soup broth, key for getting sufficient flavour into this soup which is made utilizing simply water, no inventory (sure, actually)!
Subsequent, the remainder of the soup:
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Water – I like that this soup is made with water somewhat than inventory/broth which many soups name for. This retains the flavour extra pure, as a substitute of tasting just like each different pureéd soup. The trick to boosting flavour is all of the greens. This soup has a stunning quantity, as you’ll be able to see above. Sautéing them slowly brings out the flavour;
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Cream – Important for that luxurious mouthfeel and physique – particularly within the absence of inventory – and to offer this soup that extra-special contact. I actually encourage you not skip it. Bear in mind, the soup is all greens aside from this cream!!
Sure you’ll be able to go for low-fat, or evaporated milk as decrease calorie choices. Nevertheless it isn’t fairly the identical … 🙂 I’ve given some steering within the recipe notes;
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Butter – For sautéing the greens;
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Herbs and spices – Bay leaf (recent), thyme, black peppercorns and coriander seeds. These are used to flavour the broth by bundling them up onto a herb and spice sachet. Extra on why we do that under!
Known as sachet d’épices in French which accurately means “bag of spices”, that is used so as to add flavour into the soup with out ending up with little bits of spices within the in any other case clear white soup.
Learn how to make the spice sachet
Simply bundle the black peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaf and recent thyme in cheesecloth or muslin, then tie it with a string.
Don’t have cheesecloth? It’s completely not the tip of the world! Simply amend the recipe as follows (precise portions given in recipe card):
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Use floor coriander as a substitute of complete seeds
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Skip the pepper (we have already got pepper within the soup)
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Thyme sprig and bay leaves – Simply add them into the soup and take away earlier than blitzing. The thyme leaves will find yourself dotted all through the soup, however to take away then you’ll be able to simply simply pressure the soup.
Right here’s a fast visible exhibiting learn how to reduce celeriac. Mainly, simply deal with it like a potato and use a peeler! The pores and skin nonetheless is a bit of harder and rougher than a potato, so that you do have to run over the pores and skin a number of occasions to get all of it off (these nubbly bits generally is a bit annoying!)
You might additionally reduce the pores and skin off with a knife, however you do lose extra flesh.
Regardless of what different sources would possibly let you know, celeriac flesh does not oxidise and go brown in a short time so there’s no have to preserve items in acidulated water and so forth.
An uncommon and interesting function of this soup to me is that it’s made with simply water somewhat than inventory or broth. Nonetheless, what this implies is that with a view to guarantee there may be sufficient flavour within the soup, we have to take our time sautéing the greens to make them candy and convey out the flavour in them. So don’t rush the sautéing steps!
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Sauté aromatics for 10 minutes – Sauté onion, leek, celery and garlic for 10 minutes till the onion is turns into candy and translucent however not golden;
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Sauté root veg 10 minutes – Add the potato and celeriac and cook dinner for 10 minutes till the skin softens barely, however once more, not golden. Bear in mind, we’re going for a snowy white soup right here!
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Simmer 25 minutes – Add water and spice sachet containing the herbs and spices (extra on this under) then simmer for 25 minutes till the celeriac may be very tender;
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Cream – Add cream and simmer for only a few minutes;
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Blitz! Mix utilizing your technique of alternative till it’s fully easy. A stick blender is handy, but it surely does take a couple of minutes and you will want to maneuver it round to mix totally.
Blender choice – A blender shall be quicker however be very cautious as a result of sizzling soup in a full, sealed blender can equal a soup explosion. Actually, you’ll find yourself with soup on the ceiling or worse, on you 😫 – been there, accomplished that!
So let the soup cool for 10 minutes or so, then mix in batches as follows: Fill blender about half manner, take away cap within the lid so there’s an open gap. Cowl the outlet with a folded tea towel, then blitz. Switch to a separate pot/bowl. Repeat to complete all of the soup. Now do you see why I go for a stick blender? 😂
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Accomplished! After blitzing, examine to see if the salt is to your style. The 1 1/2 teaspoons known as for on this recipe is simply perfectly-seasoned to my style. For those who like saltier / restaurant-level seasoning, you’ll want extra.
Garnish with croutons (recipe supplied) and one thing inexperienced so as to add a sprinkle of color – particularly chives, parsley or chervil. A bit drizzle of olive oil makes a reasonably completion too.
I really feel like sizzling, buttered crusty bread for dunking goes with out saying. Ever-popular Crusty Artisan Bread is simply the ticket. Else I wouldn’t say no to a hunk of freshly made Focaccia from final week both. (Each of those occur to be virtually-foolproof-and-no-knead miracle recipes!)
Breads for dunking
This would possibly sound like an odd instruction – I imply, it’s soup! Everyone is aware of learn how to serve soup! 😂
What I truly need to level out right here is the totally different hats this soup can put on. As a lesser-seen vegetable and due to the beautiful white color, it’s each fascinating and appears very elegant. It might make a pleasant, refined starter for a seated banquet. Particularly when you’ve got these shallow soup bowls that you simply usually see at tremendous eating eating places (I don’t, I’m all about rustic service!)
However on the identical time, the soup is hearty, cosy and filling, and likewise dead-simple to make. So it’s completely good midweek meal or lunch for a chilly winter’s day – or one thing to ladle right into a mug and sip as you run across the kitchen making cake to {photograph} for this Friday’s submit. Oh wait, is that simply me?? 😂 – Johnsat x
PS. I can’t be the one one round right here who drinks soup on the exit of mugs. Don’t depart me hanging out to dry on this – inform me in case you’re with me!
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)
- 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)
- 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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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:
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.
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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!
9. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
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