Creamy Vegan Celery Potato Soup
To be perfectly frank, the idea of making celery soup is not something that would normally get me excited… and in normal settings, I would probably never go out of my way to make it. But as a passionate subscriber of Misfits Market, an organic produce delivery service that sends up to 12 pounds (or more!) of mostly locally grown fruits and veggies right to your doorstep, I make a conscious effort to creatively use whatever items that come in my box… and this week, I had a giant bag of organic celery ready to be eaten.
Being someone who doesn’t particularly LOVE celery (aside from being eaten raw, dipped in hummus or salsa) I was a bit perplexed as to what I might do with it. I don’t like it in juices or smoothies, and it’s not so good in stir fries or curries. It’s not good roasted or grilled, and most certainly not steamed. But then, I remembered, I could use it in a soup! Initially thinking I would just chop it up and make a simple veggie noodle soup with carrots, onions and the normal works, after a few quick Google searches and a keen desire to do something a little more creative with it, I stumbled upon a celery soup recipe by the amazing Feasting At Home, and was inspired to try a similar version myself. With just about an hour (or less) of total prep AND cook time, very few ingredients needed, and being a hearty, but also surprisingly light meal, this soup has become an instant favorite of mine. And, much to my surprise, it barely even tastes like celery!
So, for anyone who might have some extra celery lying around the house and/or those looking for an affordable, but healthy and filling meal, I hope this recipe gives you as much joy as it does for me. Also, if you’re interested in subscribing to Misfits Market they are now fully operating in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Ohio, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. It has been such a wonderful, creative process utilizing the boxes of surprise produce Misfits Market sends me, and it has saved me a TON of money on groceries, while also encouraging me to cook more AND help end the food waste crisis as they send produce that grocery stores reject due to minor blemishes, “odd” shapes (extra large garlic, for instance…. fine by me!), and even produce that is simply overstock!).
P.S. Feel free to use my referral code COOKWME-HB5KYT at checkout for 25% off your first box!
Servings: 4-6 (depending on how hungry you are!)
Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients
1 large potato (chopped into small pieces)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 large bag of organic celery (chopped)
1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base
5 cups of water
1 cup of ice cubes
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
cayenne (to taste)
nutritional yeast (to taste, though the more, the better in my opinion!)
Sourdough bread (optional)
Directions
On medium heat, place the olive oil into a large pot (once the pan is hot).
Add onion and let cook for 5 minutes or until onion is mostly cooked through.
Add the Better Than Bouillon, celery, water, potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne to the pot. The liquid should be juuuust covering the veggies. Cover the pot and then turn up the heat to bring to a rolling boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until all veggies are throughly cooked.
Once everything is cooked through, remove from heat, remove the cover and add the ice cubes to the soup. Make sure the soup mixture is cool enough for safe handling.
Pour about a third of the soup mixture into a blender. Blend thoroughly.
Pour the portion of blended soup into a large mixing bowl.
Repeat two more times with the rest of the mixture until all of the soup is blended.
Pour the fully blended soup back into the pot, cover and reheat on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
~OPTIONAL~ While soup is reheating, toast a few pieces of your favorite sourdough bread to be later used for dipping in the soup (highly recommend!) My favorite brand is Bread Alone.
Take off cover, add nutritional yeast and stir.
Serve and enjoy!