Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup makes the perfect starter for an elegant spring dinner party. With a delicate onion flavor, it’s a tasty way to use up those celery leaves and tops!
Welcome to another entry in the Waste Not feature!
As I mentioned in previous Waste Not posts, after watching the late Anthony Bourdain’s movie Wasted on a plane ride back from Europe last year, my eyes were opened as to how much food we waste as a nation. Frankly, it made me pretty uncomfortable.
I decided to look at vegetable trimmings, clippings and remnants in new ways and began this new feature called Waste Not, intended to deal with food waste in a non-preachy but creative way.
With Memorial Day and other summer holidays fast approaching, there’s going to be a lot of potato salad being made. Many of those potato salad recipes call for celery. There’s also a hot new juicing trend that’s all about celery.
However, what if you just made a ton of spud salad and now you have celery leaves and tops galore but you’re not into juicing?
What can you do with celery leaves and tops?
Fresh celery leaves can be used like any herb. Therefore, you can:
- Use them in stock.
- Make a celery leaf pesto.
- Add them to salads.
- Use them in place of parsley either in the recipe or as a garnish.
- Use to flavor soups and stews.
- Add them to a green smoothie.
- Make Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup!
How to store celery:
Celery generally does not take center stage in recipes but rather more of a kitchen workhorse that adds flavor and crunch to the dishes it’s in. Because of that, you generally only use one or two of the ribs.
To store celery so that it lasts up to a month, wrap it in aluminum foil. Do not store it in a plastic bag or plastic wrap. You’ll be amazed a vegetable can last so long in your refrigerator!
How to make Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup:
- Look for celery at the market that has leafy tops.
- Collect the leaves and tender tops from the celery stalk. (You might need two heads of celery).
- Chop the celery tops along with scallions and saute in a Dutch oven until all is nice and tender.
- Add a big, peeled and cubed Russet potato, some garlic, chicken or vegetable broth and simmer uncovered until everything is nice and tender and “soupy.”
- Add a little cream….
- Puree…
- …and you have a beautiful soup perfect for any spring occasion!
- Garnish with fresh celery leaves!
Beautiful, beautiful! Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup looks and tastes like spring!
For more lovely, creamy soups, be sure to try my:
- Spinach Goat Cheese Bisque with Crispy Lemon Chickpeas
- Pumpkin Soup with Marsala and Mascarpone
- Spicy Indonesian Vegan Carrot Almond Soup
- Creamy White Bean, Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Taleggio
- Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup with Curry
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree
- Cream of Brussels Sprouts Soup
You’ll need these helpful tools and equipment to make Cream of Green Vegetable Soup (Affiliate Links):
Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 bunches scallions
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups chopped celery leaves, tender tops and hearts (from about 2 large heads)
- 1 large Russet potato, peeled and cubed (approximately 2 cups)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- sald and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other soup pot.
- Add the scallions, garlic and celery leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 6-7 minutes or until vegetables are becoming tender.
- Add the potato and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes or until potato and other vegetables are very tender.
- Remove from heat and add the cream.
- Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 351 Total Fat 26g Saturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 1g Unsaturated Fat 12g Cholesterol 58mg Sodium 1134mg Carbohydrates 25g Fiber 4g Sugar 5g Protein 7g
David says
June 1, 2019 at 12:24 pmI’ve never thought of using celery leaves in this way. Absolutely great idea considering the amount of food that we waste. Great recipe and great presentation. Thanks for sharing this.
Carol says
June 2, 2019 at 7:46 amThank you, David! The amount of food we waste is truly mind-blowing. Hope you enjoy!
Neha says
May 27, 2019 at 11:02 amI regret throwing away all those pretty green leaves for such a long time! This recipe sounds super creative and delicious, trying it tonight.
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 7:35 pmThanks, Neha! Really and truly! Don’t throw them away; there are so many uses for them!
sara says
May 27, 2019 at 7:38 amI love the idea of using what would normally be tossed! The soup has a lovely color, I just want to dig in to a bowl!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:17 amThanks, Sara! Yes, the color is perfect for spring!
Jagruti Dhanecha says
May 27, 2019 at 4:28 amAlthough the weather is warming up here, don’t mind of having this delicious cream celery soup, what a delicious way to enjoy those celery leaves!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:18 amThanks, Jagruti! It snowed in Colorado last week so there’s still chilly weather around. We eat other hot foods in the summer so why not a little soup? It’s perfect all year-round. Thanks again!
Saima says
May 26, 2019 at 10:23 pmI can’t believe the simplicity of this celery soup! I was expecting to see lots of steps and guidelines but the recipe is so simple to make. Never going to waste celery leaves again. Your ideas about using celery leaves and tops are great!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:19 amThanks, Saima! Definitely, don’t waste celery leaves. Put them in salads or use like you would any fresh herb. Thanks again!
Amy says
May 26, 2019 at 9:05 pmI’m really loving this idea! Lately, I’ve been trying to throw away as little food as possible — and this is such an elegant way to use up a bit of food that typically wouldn’t be considered quite so glamorous. It seems like a really unique and tasty flavor, too — thanks so much for sharing!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:20 amThank you, Amy! I’m still not perfect in the food waste area, but I’m working on it!
lauren says
May 26, 2019 at 7:49 pmWhat an amazing idea! I love this feature concept of ‘Waste Not’. I’m so guilty of this too – especially when it comes to celery leaves! The scallions must add a great flavor as well. The color is so visually striking, love it.
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:21 amThanks, Lauren!
Daniela says
May 26, 2019 at 5:14 pmAm absolutely adoring your in process shots!!! They’re so useful and make the recipe so easy to follow! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:21 amThanks, Daniela!
Charity says
May 26, 2019 at 2:42 pmCarol, have you ever had lovage? It tastes and smells like celery but you only use the leaves. Do you think I could make this soup with lovage in place of the celery? Thanks!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:22 amHi, Charity, I’ve never had lovage; it’s not something I find in my neck of the woods. I’m sure you could use it though. Thanks again!
Amanda says
May 26, 2019 at 1:45 pmWhat a beautiful summer soup! I love how simple the ingredient list is, and it’s so easy to put together. Thanks for a great recipe!
Carol says
May 27, 2019 at 8:22 amThanks, Amanda! It really is super simple. Thanks again!
Julie says
May 25, 2019 at 1:51 pmI LOVE this “waste not” series. Food waste is out of control in this country, but I also totally understand why — it’s so hard to come up with creative ways to use food scraps. We always save all our veggie tops and bottoms in a bag in the freezer to add to homemade stock, but I love this soup idea for times when we have lots and lots of celery all at once. I can’t wait to see what else you include in this series!
Carol says
May 26, 2019 at 7:29 amThanks, Julie! I agree about food waste being out of control. I might not be able to feed too many hungry people with a soup, but I can certainly be a good steward of what I have. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
May 24, 2019 at 3:39 pmThis soup looks SO deliciously good and the perfect way to use up those celery leaves. I wish I could eat that right now!
Carol says
May 25, 2019 at 10:40 amThanks, Maggie! Hope you enjoy!
Tynia says
May 23, 2019 at 10:37 pmI’ve never done anything this creative with celery. This sounds like a lovely spring soup I’d like to try.
Carol says
May 24, 2019 at 7:23 amThanks, Tynia! I know, celery is one of those unglamorous vegetables that’s more of a kitchen workhorse but seldom takes center stage. Thanks again!