Name: Celeriac Soup with Mushrooms
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: For the Soup; 1 large celeriac (celery root), about 2 pounds; 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 firm, ripe d’Anjou pear, stem removed, peeled, cored, and halved; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 4 cups vegetable stock; 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 ounces oyster mushrooms, torn into irregular strips; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon maple syrup; ¼ teaspoon ground coriander; ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes; A handful of fresh, bright green celery leaves; Olive oil for drizzling; Cracked black pepper

Mains

Celeriac Soup with Mushrooms

Author: Mary DiSomma

I love the first cool days of fall. That’s the kind of weather that sends me straight into the kitchen to make a big pot of soup. Give me a chilly afternoon, a cozy sweater, and a yummy bowl of soup, and I’m one happy lady. This celery root soup recipe is silky and savory. Made with roasted celeriac (AKA celery root), sweet pear, cumin, and deeply browned oyster mushrooms, it’s absolutely delicious.

When I make this celeriac soup recipe, I like to roast the celeriac and onion first because it brings out their natural sweetness and gives the soup a deeper flavor. The pear adds a hint of sweetness, and a splash of rice wine vinegar helps balance everything out. Each bowl gets topped with oyster mushrooms that have been browned with soy sauce, maple syrup, coriander, and a little red chili flake. Overall, I would say this dish has real umami flavor. The texture contrast between the creamy soup and those meaty mushrooms is amazing too!

I’ll even show you how to garnish it so it looks as beautiful as it is delicious. Well, let’s get cooking!

Ingredient Tips

Most grocery stores will carry “celeriac” more commonly known as celery root and oyster mushrooms, you might need to ask where to find them in the produce section.

One of my favorite things about seasonal cooking is shopping at my local farmers markets. Here in the Oak Park area (and Chicago in general), farmers markets typically stay open all the way through November. That means I can keep finding high-quality produce well into the season.

I always like to bring some celery root home when I see it. And we’re really lucky to have a couple incredible mushroom growers right here in Oak Park. They always have a wonderful variety of fresh and flavorful mushrooms.

Not quite. They’re technically different cultivars of the same plant. Celery root—also called celeriac—is grown for its large, knobby root, while celery itself is grown for the stalks. Celeriac does have a mild celery flavor, but it’s earthier, nuttier, and feels more substantial than celery stalks. It makes a fantastic root soup base after it’s roasted and pureed. If I can find one with the leaves still attached, I like to save them for the garnish.

I mean, technically you can, but I would not recommend it. If you ask me, celery and celery root soup are two different things. Celery stalks are more fibrous and contain a lot more water, so the finished soup wouldn’t have the same creamy texture or earthy character if you swapped them. Not even close, actually!

If you can’t find celeriac, substitute in another root vegetable instead. I’d pick something with a similar texture (like parsnips) so you still get a satisfying puree and it’s still a root soup recipe.

I’ll be real with you for a second: celeriac is not the beauty queen of the vegetable world. Its rough, knobby exterior can look intimidating, but don’t worry! You’ll find it’s easy to prepare. I start by cutting off the top and bottom so I have two flat surfaces. Then I stand the root up on one of the cut sides and use a sharp chef’s knife, following the curve of the root, to take off the skin in sections. A vegetable peeler usually isn’t sturdy enough for this job.

Once your celery root is peeled, give it a good rinse and cut it into chunks. This method works for all kinds of celeriac recipes. Soups like this one do not require perfection, by the way. No need to worry about perfect cubes because everything is going to get pureed anyway.

If you can’t find oyster mushrooms, make sure to choose another mushroom that browns up nicely. Cremini, baby bella, shiitake or maitake mushrooms would all make decent substitutes. The important thing is to give the mushrooms enough room in the pan that they can actually brown. Cook them in batches if you need to, rather than making a big pile. If the pan is too crowded, your mushrooms will steam instead of browning. And you want those crispy, caramelized edges, right?

Preparation + Preservation Tips

Here’s the secret: make sure the celeriac is completely tender before you puree it. In celeriac recipes, especially soup, roasting is how you control the texture. For the smoothest possible soup, I use a blender to puree. If necessary, I’ll work in batches. An immersion blender works, too—and makes cleanup a little easier! Just take your time and keep blending until the soup is completely smooth. If you’re putting hot liquid in a regular blender, remember not to seal the lid all the way so the steam can escape safely.

Take a taste of the soup right after blending. If it still has a lot of texture, try blending it longer. Celeriac can be fibrous sometimes, especially if the root was large or wasn’t completely tender after roasting. If it still feels gritty or stringy after blending again, you can pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. It takes a little time, but it can really help achieve that nice, silky mouthfeel. By the way, don’t skip the vinegar! The acid helps balance out celery root’s rich, earthy flavor so your soup doesn’t taste flat.

Yes, absolutely! However, I recommend making the mushroom topping fresh when you’re ready to serve it. To freeze your soup, first let it cool completely. After it’s cool, transfer it to airtight freezer-safe containers and make sure to leave a little room for expansion. The day before you want to reheat it, thaw the soup in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally. You can always add a splash of stock or water if the soup has thickened up and you want to loosen it up.

Extra Tips

Oyster mushrooms are my go-to for this recipe because of their hearty texture and rich flavor. The mushrooms in this recipe are also delicious in a rice bowl, tucked into tacos, or sprinkled over any savory dish. But if you’re anything like me, you won’t have any leftovers! Make extra if you like.