Cream of Celery Soup with Bacon

This is what to do with all the leftover celery you have from Thanksgiving (or any other time).  Make this wonderful cream of celery soup–and don’t spare the bacon!

I bet there’s a lot of you out there like me–who never use up a whole bunch of celery.  I’d be rich if I had a dime for how many times I’ve forgotten about it and ended up throwing out the 3/4 of it I never used, most of the time it being a limp and watery MESS.

Wrapping it up entirely in aluminum foil is a trick to keep it lasting longer, but it doesn’t last forever even with that kitchen hack.

Many of us will buy a bunch in the next week or two especially for our Thanksgiving stuffing, so this soup is a great way for you to use what’s left over after you use those 2-3 ribs for the dressing.

Nothing goes to waste here. You just cut off the whitish bottom where the stem is and you use everything else–including the leaves. The leaves actually have a lot of flavor in them too!

This is one delicious soup that’s made even better by the hint of bacon. It’s absolutely nothing like that condensed stuff you buy in the can. This may even be good for you with all the fibre from the celery and carrots.

The soup does have to be pureed.  You can use a stick (immersion) blender, a standard blender or better yet, a power blender like BlendTec or Vitamix. I used my humble Ninja and it worked like a charm!

I used instant mashed potato flakes to thicken the soup. I like my cream soups a bit on the “hearty” side and didn’t want to do it as I usually do with cornstarch. That wouldn’t work in this soup anyway. I found 1/2 cup was a good amount, but if you like a really REALLY thick soup, use more!

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Cream of Celery Soup with Bacon

Make this wonderful cream of celery soup–and don’t spare the bacon!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, celery soup, cream of celery, cream soup recipe, Leftover favorites

Servings: 7 cups

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 5 cups chopped celery--including the leaves
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups milk or light cream
• 1/2-1 cup instant mashed potato flakes optional

Instructions

• Cook bacon in a dutch oven until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Don't drain the drippings.
• Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.
• Add the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, thyme and salt.
• Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
• Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add the milk/cream and remove from the heat to cool slightly.
• Puree the soup with either an immersion blender or in a conventional blender (or a Ninja)
• Return the soup to the pan to reheat.
• If you prefer a thicker soup, add the potato flakes, starting with 1/2 cup.
• Chop the bacon and add about 1 tbs to the top of each bowl of soup.
• Makes about 7 cups

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3707IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1mg

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