Got celeriac in your produce box and have no idea what to do with it? Or what it even is?
This hairy little thing, also known as celery root, is pretty delicious despite not the nicest looking vegetable out there. And contrary to what you might think, celery root is not actually the root of the celery plant that you know. It’s its own variety, cultivated for its earthy, nutty root rather than its stem. But it does taste similar!
When prepping this soup, don’t bother trying to peel it with a vegetable peeler. As you can see, the twisty roots are going to be a pain to work around. Just carefully slice off the peel one side at a time like this.
Celeriac is high in fiber and is a good source of B6 (an important nutrient for fertility and reproductive hormone balance), and it’s sweetened a bit in this soup with apple and a honey-walnut and cranberry topping.
This recipe is delicious with or without the topping, but I think the cranberries add a nice tang, and it makes for a great Thanksgiving recipe. If you’re planning ahead, you can definitely meal prep this one, too.
Enjoy!
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots (about 6 small)
- 1 cup diced onion (1 small)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
- 4 cups ½-inch diced celeriac (about 1 lb)
- 1 cup diced apple (1 apple)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 4 cups broth (veg or chicken, whatever)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Make the topping: Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on medium heat until fragrant. Add butter, honey, and a pinch of salt, and stir until thickened, stirring in cranberries towards the end. Remove from heat and place mixture onto parchment to dry. Break up before garnishing.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sautee for 5 minutes.
- Add celeriac and apple and sautee until celeriac is softened, 10 minutes.
- Add broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes more to fully soften the celery root.
- Blend the soup: Use an immersion blender in the saucepan until smooth, or pour soup into a VENTILATED blender and puree until smooth.
- Serve warm, and garnish with cranberry walnut topping, if using.
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