Instant Pot Celery Soup Recipe

Celery is a vegetable that's known more for its crunch than its flavor, so it is often eaten raw. Celery sticks are great served with Buffalo wings, along with plenty of blue cheese for dunking. "Ants on a log" are fun to serve the kids at snack time and are easily made by filling celery sticks with peanut butter or cream cheese, then sprinkled with raisin "bugs." When it comes to cooking, though, celery seldom plays a leading role. The closest it comes is as one of the trio of ingredients in France's mirepoix or the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun/Creole cooking.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn, however, thinks celery deserves a five-star billing. "I am a huge fan of celery," she says, adding "I juice it every morning, so [I] always have it in the house. As to how she got the idea for this celery soup recipe, she notes, "I love creamy, savory soups, so [I] knew that adding Yukon potatoes and savory spices would be delicious." The flavor she describes as "very buttery and savory," explaining that the "Yukon potatoes are the key here to making this soup have such great texture [while] the spices and fresh sage all [add] a great element to this soup."

Hahn is a wellness coach, so she's sure to incorporate super nutritious ingredients in every recipe she creates, and this one is no exception. "Celery has so many health benefits," she says. "It is very hydrating, for one, [and] also high in potassium, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is detoxing to the body, alkalizing, and helps with inflammation." The potatoes are included not only to give the soup a creamy texture, but also because, as Hahn says, they "make it so much healthier! Potatoes have lots of vitamin C, potassium and B vitamins."

The recipe also includes avocado oil, something Hahn notes "has a high smoke point, meaning it can be used at high heat, and it won't break down and become carcinogenic," although she adds that a good quality olive oil could be substituted. Other ingredients include a yellow onion, fresh garlic, Italian parsley, fresh sage, vegetable broth, and dried thyme. Hahn does say, though, that you can swap the dried thyme for fresh, but says to use 1 tablespoon of the fresh stuff, and add it when the soup is done cooking.

Lots of veggies equals lots of prep work, of course. Chop the celery, then chop the potatoes, too. No need to peel the potatoes, as Hahn says she always leaves the skin on to make them even healthier. You will need to peel the onions and garlic, though, before you chop both of these aromatic items. Finally, chop or snip the parsley and sage, and also the thyme if you'll be using fresh in place of the dried herb.

Start by drizzling the oil into the Instant Pot, then set the pot to Sauté. Put the celery, onion, and garlic in the pot, and cook them, stirring frequently, for five minutes. Now, add 1 cup of the broth, and stir, then add the rest of the broth along with the remaining ingredients. Season the soup with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Hahn cautions, "At this point, don't stir. This will help avoid the 'burn' notification."

Next, close the lid, set the nozzle on Sealing, and select Pressure Cook for 12 minutes. Hahn says it will take 15 minutes for the pot to reach full pressure, after which time the cooking countdown will appear on the panel.

Ding! That was your timer going off. Soup's done! Well, almost. The thing about a pressure cooker is, what you lose in cook time, you make up for in wait time, so don't touch that pot for another five minutes. Then, stand back, set the nozzle on venting, and let the pot release its steam.

When the pot is finally done venting, remove half the soup to a blender, or to another pot if you'll be using an immersion blender. (If you're using a regular blender, it's extremely important to follow the appropriate safety precautions when blending hot foods to avoid a potential accident in the kitchen.) Blend the soup until creamy, then add it back to the chunky half still in the Instant Pot. If the soup is too thick, you can thicken it out with additional broth or water.

Serve the soup topped with red pepper flakes, additional chopped parsley, and/or croutons. Hahn says she likes to serve it alongside "a huge green salad," and notes that it's "also great with a pasta salad like an arugula orzo pasta salad or a spinach bowtie." She also assures that "it also saves really well and [is] great the next day" and that it "will last all week in a sealed container." This is such an exceptionally great meal to prepare during the fall and winter seasons, although your family will enjoy it all year long!