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?
Uses for 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
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Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
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!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 bunches scallions, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
- 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 vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt 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: 351Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 1134mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
DH says
We had so much celery in the garden this year I had to find something to do with all the beautiful leaves and this recipe was perfect. So simple and delicious.
I’m trying to use up the rest of the bounty. I have read that creamed soups don’t freeze well so I’m thinking I would make the recipe right up to the point before adding cream, freeze that soup and then when it’s time to eat it, defrost, reheat and add the cream then.
What do you think? Any other suggestions?
Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Carol says
Hi, DH, Thanks so much for your question and glad you enjoy this soup so much. You could leave the cream out to be on the safe side. However, I do creamy soups a lot for clients and no one has ever had a problem. With heating and stirring, it comes back together. Try a small batch WITH the cream–like a cup or so–and see if you like the result. Thanks again!
DH says
Success !! I tried your suggestion and it worked exactly as you described. When the creamed soup came out of the freezer and defrosted, it looked curdled, but reheating and whisking brought it all back together. Thank you so very much for all of this !!
Carol says
Hi, DH, Thank you so very much and you are most welcome! I don’t recall ever having a problem so glad it worked out well for you, too!!
Steve says
I made this with half the butter and oil. I used a bit over on the leaves and scallions. “No-chicken” stock was used instead of chicken stock. And, since I had some left over from a previous recipe, buttermilk instead of cream. I was going to add a bit of non-fat Greek yogurt, but decided against that.
And it still tasted great!
Which brings up the story of a carpenter who had a favorite hammer. The head broke and he replaced the head. A while later, the handle broke and he replaced the handle. And it was _still_ his favorite hammer!
YMMV!
Carol says
Hi, Steve, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! LOVE your story about the carpenter–it’s so appropriate and I get the meaning totally as my father is a carpenter/woodworker. Thanks again and hope you’ll stay in touch!
Tatiana says
Wow, soo delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe, I was looking for a way to use whole vegetables when I came across your soup. So glad I found it. I only changed the chicken stock for veggie stock (I follow a plant based diet) and it turned out way better than I had expected since I don’t really like celery. Scrumptious! Will become a staple for anytime I buy celery.
Carol says
Hi, Tatiana, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! What a great comment to wake up to! Thanks again!
Jo Ann says
Thanks for your response about the scallions. It took 5 of the ones I had, with large-ish bulbs, to make up a cup. Next question: is this soup meant to be served hot or chilled?
Carol says
Hi, Jo Ann, Looks like you used what we call “spring onions” with the bulbs starting. I always serve it hot but I’ll be it would be great chilled! Thanks again and hope you’re enjoying!
Jo Ann says
Your recipe calls for 5 bunches of scallions. Since scallions (aka green onions?) vary so much in size, and even the number of scallions in a bunch can vary, I wonder if you could approximate a cup measurement, as you did with the celery leaves. Thanks.
Carol says
Hi, Jo Ann, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, I didn’t realize how much they could vary in different places; they seem to be pretty consistent where I shop/live. It would be approximately 1 cup. You want a delicate onion flavor, not an overpowering one. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Keryn Ho says
Do you think I could use a normal brown onion instead? We are in lockdown in NZ.
Carol says
Hi, Keryn, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, I just wouldn’t use a whole one. Depends upon the size, too. Hope you’re staying well!!!!!
Pat says
I did. Also behind bars these days and just used half a brown onion. No cream either so used whole milk. I had To settle for frozen garlic too. It was perfect and we cleaned it up.
Carol says
Hi, Pat, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Looks like you made the perfect adjustments! Thanks again!
Jill says
This is delicious. I’ve been searching for way to use all of our organic veggies to boost our immune system as much as we can. This recipe did just that and hit the spot! Thanks. We will definitely use again. I did not have scallions or a russet, but I substituted a regular onion and a Costa Rican sweet potato. Yum!
Carol says
Hi, Jill, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! Yes, a regular onion will also work. Will have to try with sweet potato. Thanks again!
hira says
Hi, This looks great! I don’t have vegetable / chicken broth or stock. Is there a replacement that doesn’t really change the taste of the soup?
Carol says
Hi, Hira, Thanks so much for your question. I would just use water but perhaps use extra celery and a little extra onion/scallion and maybe a little extra salt. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Pam says
5 BUNCHES of scallions… how much IS that? I live in Italy… scallions are not small skinny things but big cipollini… so how do I figure this out, please.
BUNCHES… are you SURE
Carol says
Hi, Pam, Thanks so much for your question and I hope you are staying well! Yes, this can be confusing. What I mean are the small, skinny things that have not yet developed any type of bulb. Sometimes they’re almost chive-like. Here, the ones that have started to develop bulbs are called “spring onions” which is probably what you have. If you’re using something like that, I would suggest substituting one large developed bulb for each bunch. You don’t want the onion flavor to dominate. I hope that answers your question and I’ve clarified the recipe. Thanks again!
Kate says
This was really good. I had no potato and substituted cooked rice. I also added a little lemon juice and cayenne. I used full fat Greek yogurt in place of cream. It was yummy and hit the spot!
Carol says
Hi, Kate, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Also, love how you made the recipe your own! Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other soup recipes.
Pieter says
Great soup, thanks for the recipe!
I added some cayenne pepper for a little heat and some Parmesan for structure and saltiness.
Will definitely make this again!
Carol says
Hi, Pieter, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed! Love the addition of the cayenne and I’m always up for adding some cheese! Parmesan is a great choice. Thanks again!
Cynthia says
This soup is absolutely amazing!! I was fortunate enough to get a bunch of organically homegrown celery at my farmer’s market last week. I used the tops in THIS soup! WOW!! We all loved it. Thank you for the recipe. I made it exactly as the recipe. YUM!!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Cynthia! The first time I made it was for my mother-in-law and she really loved it so glad to hear you enjoyed as much, too! Those celery leaves are gold! Thanks again!
David says
I’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
Thank you, David! The amount of food we waste is truly mind-blowing. Hope you enjoy!
Neha says
I 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
Thanks, Neha! Really and truly! Don’t throw them away; there are so many uses for them!
sara says
I 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
Thanks, Sara! Yes, the color is perfect for spring!
Jagruti Dhanecha says
Although 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
Thanks, 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
I 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
Thanks, Saima! Definitely, don’t waste celery leaves. Put them in salads or use like you would any fresh herb. Thanks again!
Amy says
I’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
Thank you, Amy! I’m still not perfect in the food waste area, but I’m working on it!
lauren says
What 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
Thanks, Lauren!
Daniela says
Am 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
Thanks, Daniela!
Charity says
Carol, 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
Hi, 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
What 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
Thanks, Amanda! It really is super simple. Thanks again!
Julie says
I 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
Thanks, 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
This 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
Thanks, Maggie! Hope you enjoy!
Tynia says
I’ve never done anything this creative with celery. This sounds like a lovely spring soup I’d like to try.
Carol says
Thanks, Tynia! I know, celery is one of those unglamorous vegetables that’s more of a kitchen workhorse but seldom takes center stage. Thanks again!