Last Updated on March 6, 2024
At this time of year, I seem to make and consume gallons of soup. It’s something I can cook in batch form and freeze successfully. Warming and nutritious, most of my soups are vegetable-based and relatively low in calories. The classic leek and potato soup is a real favourite, but if I’m trying to lose a bit of weight then leek and celery soup works just as well for me. I do generally add something to help give the soup body – a small potato or a handful of cooked rice. But, it’s an ingredient to create texture rather than taste and I try to moderate the quantity.
Skip straight to my recipe for Leek and Celery Soup
Leek and celery soup works best with homemade chicken or vegetable stock. If you don’t have any then try a small amount of Marigold bouillon and you should be fine. As it happens, this time I did have fresh stock that I’d made from the carcass of the Sunday roast. I use my pressure cooker to make chicken stock. It takes anything from 30 minutes to an hour and the stock is wonderfully rich and (I believe) full of nutrients. 1 cup of homemade chicken or beef stock ranges from 31 to 86 calories and 0.2 to 2.9g fat but has 4.7 to 6g protein, and varying amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and other minerals. That’s good enough for me (I do let my stock rest overnight in the fridge so I can remove most of the fat, which will, of course, also reduce the calories. It makes soup into a viable, nutritious and filling dish for lunch that stops me feeling hungry.
I’ve used an onion with this recipe, simply because I only had one smallish leek. If you have a larger leek, then feel free not to do so. The idea is that the proportions should be about half potato to one part celery and one part leek by weight. You can also add in scraps of other green vegetables. Mine included a bit of spinach this time just because I didn’t have enough for a full portion and it needed using up. But, you are aiming for a flavour profile where you can taste both celery and leek.
It’s a recipe that cooks easily and quickly in a pressure cooker like an instant pot in just 30 minutes. All you need to do is saute the vegetables gently in the oil before adding the stock and setting the pressure to high. If you don’t have one, then you can make this in a stockpot or large pan on the hob, it will just need to be stirred occasionally and will take a little longer.
Garnish this soup with creme fraiche, greek yoghurt or a little fresh double cream. You can add croutons if you have them and I like a scattering of chopped fresh celery leaves. It’s frugal and truly delicious. Made with marigold bouillon or homemade vegetable stock and olive oil it’s also vegan. Use chicken stock and of course, it’s not – but I’d like to think it’s a good example of a flexitarian dish.
Want to try for yourself? Here’s the recipe
Leek and Celery Soup
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker Or stock pot
Ingredients
- 1 medium Leek
- 1 small Potato
- 4 sticks Celery
- 1 small Onion
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 750 ml Chicken/Vegetable Stock (or Bouillon)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Creme Fraiche and celery leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion
- Heat the oil in your instant pot or stockpot and set the onion to soften (use the saute setting for instant pot)
- Stir occasionally while you prepare your other vegetables
- Trim and chop the celery and leek. Cut into chunks of about 1-2cm
- Peel and chop the potato
- Add the leeks and celery to the instant pot and stir to soften on saute for a few minutes
- Add the potatoes, stock and a good seasoning of salt and pepper
- If you are using an electric pressure cooker, put the lid on and set to cook on high for 30 minutes. If you are cooking this in a regular stockpot, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 40 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally
- Release the steam from the instant pot
- Using a stick blender, liquidise the soup to the texture of your choice. You can remove some of the vegetables with a slotted spoon, then return them after liquidising if you prefer.
- Adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with the garnish of your choice. I like creme fraiche and a few chopped celery leaves
Nutrition
Looking for a different soup recipe? Try our tomato and butternut squash soup with ginger
This is a go to winter recipe for me!
Thanks for the recipe! Winter is fast approaching and this soup will be a hit!