Creamy celeriac and fennel potato soup with smoky shiitakes is the perfect bowl of comfort for these late winter/early spring days!
If you saw this post on Instagram last week, it comes as no surprise that I love celeriac. Since it is one of my favorite vegetables (easily top 5!), I was incredibly excited when the farm I work with every week decided to try growing it this winter. It was a verrrrrry slow grower thanks to our erratic winter weather but it survived and yielded a delicious crop! I’ve been savoring every bite because local celeriac here in Houston is a rarity.
Do you like celeriac? In case you’re not quite sure what it is, it is often referred to as “celery root”. It’s a celery variety grown for the bulbous stem rather than the celery stalks. Though it might look ugly or unassuming on the outside, the inside has a sweet and mellow celery flavor. Once you cut away the rough outer skin, the flesh can be enjoyed raw or cooked. It pairs really well with potatoes, carrots, beets, fennel, apples, leeks, and parsnips.
Since it was relatively chilly last week, I decided to go the soup route with my celeriac, pairing it with creamy yellow potatoes and local fennel. Each bowl is topped with browned shiitake mushrooms sauteed with smoked paprika, tamari, and a tiny bit of granulated garlic. It’s a plant-based nod to the bits of bacon that are commonly served atop a bowl of potato soup. You can go an extra step and garnish the bowls with some vegan or traditional cheddar cheese shreds but I’ll leave that entirely up to you! For the photos I went with a few wispy fennel fronds.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe! If you decide to make it, make sure to tag me on Instagram or leave me a comment here. If it’s still pretty chilly and cold where you are and you’d like more soup recipes, head here!
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Celeriac and Fennel Potato Soup with Smoky Shiitakes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart (2-3 servings)
Description
Creamy vegan celeriac and fennel potato soup with smoky shiitakes is the perfect bowl of comfort for cold days! Go the extra step and garnish these bowls of vegan and gluten free soup with some vegan (or traditional) cheddar cheese shreds if you like, or keep it simple with wispy fennel fronds.
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 smaller fennel bulbs
- 1 large shallot
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 small yellow potatoes
- 1 celeriac
- 1 can (13.5 oz) full fat coconut milk
- 1 vegetable bouillon/stock cube
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- sea salt to taste
- 4 oz shiitake mushrooms
- 1/8 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
- Fennel fronds to serve, optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut your fennel in half legthwise. Remove the core from each half (the tough part at the root end) then give the fennel a rough dice. Cut your shallot into a rough dice also. Put the diced fennel and shallot on a baking tray and drizzle with 2-3 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle everything with a pinch of salt then toss to coat. Roast the fennel and shallot at 425 for about 25-30 min or until caramelized around the edges and tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the fennel and shallots are roasting, cut the potatoes into roughly 1-inch dice (this will be roughly 2 1/2 to 3 cups total). Add the diced potatoes to a large stock pot. Cut away the rough skin of the celeriac then cut it into a rough 1-inch dice as well. Add the celeriac to the pot with the potatoes, then cover the vegetables with cool water. Set the pot on a burner over medium high heat. Bring everything to a boil, then boil for about 12-15 minutes or until fork-tender. Strain and rinse the cooked potatoes and celeriac under cool water.
Add the coconut milk along with the roasted fennel, shallot, vegetable bouillon cube along, and the nutritional yeast to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add potatoes and celeriac and pulse a few times to incorporate them into the soup. You want to pulse instead of blending so that you keep the potato starches from developing (which will yield a weird gluey texture).
Add the soup back to the stock pot and warm it to your liking. Give it a taste and season with salt as needed.
While the soup warms, make the smoky shiitakes. Remove and discard/compost the stems of the mushrooms then cut them into slices roughly 1/4-inch thick. Add 1 tbsp of the oil to large skillet set over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms along with the granulated garlic, smoked paprika, and tamari or soy sauce. Stir to combine, then allow the mushrooms to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden brown. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
To serve, top each bowl of soup with some of the smoky shiitakes. You can also garnish with some of the fennel fronds if you like or some shredded vegan or regular cheddar cheese.
Notes
Don’t be deterred by the lengthy cooking time as most of it is hand’s-off while the fennel and shallot roast in the oven. If you don’t have access to celeriac, you can use 1-2 large stalks of celery in its place. Or, you can sub in a small crown of broccoli.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
