Chard Stalk, Celeriac and Leek Soup

Updated April 30, 2024

Chard Stalk, Celeriac and Leek Soup
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
60 minutes
Rating
4(96)
Notes
Read community notes

Hold onto your chard stalks! Recently I came upon a recipe in a Provençal cookbook for a gratin made with chard stalks and celeriac. I used the combination for a purée, which I served at Thanksgiving dinner to great acclaim. I took the same idea and made it into a blended soup, this time adding a potato and a bunch of leeks for added flavor and body. The soup is incredibly satisfying, but quite light.

Featured in: Easy Vegetable Soups for Cold Winter Nights

Learn: How to Make Soup

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4
  • 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾pound leeks (2 large), white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped (about 2 cups)
  • Salt to taste
  • ¾pound Swiss chard stems, diced (about 2½ cups)
  • ¾pound celeriac, peeled and diced (about 2 cups
  • 1large yellow or russet potato (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
  • 5 to 6cups water or stock (chicken or vegetable)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

164 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 1261 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot or Dutch oven and add leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and add chard stems, celeriac, potato and water or stock. Stir together and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon per quart of water to start when making soup).

  2. Step 2

    Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender, cover top of jar with a towel pulled down tight, rather than airtight with the lid. Return to pot and heat through, stirring. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, thin out with a little more water or stock. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley or celery leaves.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: The soup keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Blend again if freezing before heating.

Ratings

4 out of 5
96 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

This makes a fine, wholesome soup for a fall day. I made it to clear out the crisper before a trip, so substituted chopped celery stalks for the chard I didn't have. But all the other ingredients were on hand, so followed the recipe, with excellent results. My yield was 7 portions of 8 ounces each.

Made per recipe, using homemade chicken stock I had in fridge. Soup needs acidity and a bit of bite. Used red wine vinegar plus lemon juice for acidity, jalapeno pepper for bite. Still a bit bland, so I served it over chopped apple, chopped parsley, plus crumbled cotija cheese. The apple & cheese provided a needed boost to flavor and texture. Would not want to serve this soup without the spruce-up. Next time I will use water instead of chicken stock, because celeriac flavor was lost.

Very straightforward recipe that yielded a pleasurable and healthy soup. Per the other notes about it being a tad bland, I sautéed a mixture of 4x chopped garlic cloves and 4x anchovy filets, then tossed them in the soup pot for the final 10 min of the simmer. All in all, I found the soup to be delicate and complex. I may even add more anchovies next time!

I'm now making soup from stems of everything, thanks to this recipe. The advice to "blend again if freezing before heating" is a gem. I forgot that the first time, remembered--and did it--the second time (and thereafter), and there is a major boost of smoothness in the texture.

Under Coronavirus StayHome order, I was out of potato, substituted a firm medium/large zucchini, removed most seeds. Unexpected nice result: green flecks of zucchini skin added visual appeal. Substituted broccoli stalks for chard I didn't have. Very tasty recipe - nice there is no dairy - might add a few drops of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice in each bowl at serving for a bit of zing in this otherwise thick and hearty soup. 2 servings before corned beef & salad. Plenty for leftover lunch.

Creamy and wholesome soup. The flavour of the celeraic doesn't overpower the other flavours in the soup dish balances out well. I added some cheese at the end which provided even more creaminess. A great way to use up greens.

Made per recipe, using homemade chicken stock I had in fridge. Soup needs acidity and a bit of bite. Used red wine vinegar plus lemon juice for acidity, jalapeno pepper for bite. Still a bit bland, so I served it over chopped apple, chopped parsley, plus crumbled cotija cheese. The apple & cheese provided a needed boost to flavor and texture. Would not want to serve this soup without the spruce-up. Next time I will use water instead of chicken stock, because celeriac flavor was lost.

Was the most delicious soup ever. Used onions instead of leeks. My finished product was white and liquid and I wonder if you have posted the correct photograph with this recipe. But thanks for the inspiration...I just couldn't bring myself to throw away the chard stalks and now i have a new favourite soup.

Could it be the the soup in the picture was made with red Swiss Chard stems and perhaps you used green Swiss Chard which has white stems?

This makes a fine, wholesome soup for a fall day. I made it to clear out the crisper before a trip, so substituted chopped celery stalks for the chard I didn't have. But all the other ingredients were on hand, so followed the recipe, with excellent results. My yield was 7 portions of 8 ounces each.

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