One-pot curried cream of celery soup with roasted broccolini, cauliflower and chickpeas

Growing up (and even now), I never liked eating raw celery sticks and the bland dips they came with. The stalks were tasteless and crunchy, with annoying strands that got stuck in my teeth.

But celery takes on a whole new meaning when you whip it into a creamy bowl of soup. It’s mild tasting with lovely flavour-enhancing qualities — especially when cooked with carrot and onion — making it a versatile soup base. Perfect for using up random veggies and protein sitting in your fridge (more on that below), and conveniently done in one pot.

You could have it as a simple, standalone soup garnished with cilantro. Or spice it up — here, I finished a half-full jar of green Thai curry paste and added roasted broccolini, cauliflower and chickpeas. It’s possible to eat the rainbow, as just about any vegetable will work well. So get creative! If I don’t happen to have curry paste, I always keep red or yellow curry powder, plus ground turmeric, as handy pantry staples.

Curried cream of celery soup

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Toal time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups of chopped celery
• 1 cup of chopped carrot
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• cilantro or parsley
• 1/2 lime
• curry powder or curry paste
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• coconut, avocado or olive oil

directions

1. Prep the veggies and herbs.
2. In a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium high. (Medium heat if using olive oil.)
3. Sauté the onion until it starts to turn golden brown. Add the garlic.
4. Add the celery, carrot, vegetable broth and coconut milk and stir until the pot comes to a gentle boil.
5. Add the curry powder or curry paste. Start with a small amount and add more if you prefer more heat.
6. Blend with an immersion blender or in a full-size blender or food processor.*
7. Add the turmeric.
8. Simmer for a few minutes.

* I find that an immersion blender works best because you’re blitzing the soup right in the same pot, rather than transferring it from a countertop blender or food processor.