Kohlrabi Soup – a better cream of broccoli, without cream

This recipe is part of Ugly Vegetable Winter – weird winter vegetables that are delicious, locally grown, and often ignored. The recipe and technique can easily work with any cruciferous vegetable, so if all you have is kale or broccoli you can make this. If you want to try kohlrabi, but can’t find it, ask your grocer to order it in.

Kohlrabi is a turnip-cabbage hybrid that tastes like broccoli, but with a smooth, juicy texture like an apple. It’s looks weird and tastes amazing.

Kohlrabi is delicious raw, just peel it and slice it into sticks. It’s sweet and crunchy, it’s great with dip. However, my favourite way to eat kohlrabi is to make kohlrabi soup. This recipe tastes like what cream of broccoli soup wants to be – without any of the weird broccoli texture or cream.

This is a great vegetable side dish that comes together in 30–60 minutes, and can be spun into a hearty meal.

 

Ingredients

Makes 1.2L of soup (~5 cups), which serves 3–4 as a side dish, or 2 people for a meal.

  • 1 kohlrabi, around 350g, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 tbsp water

  • 1 clove of garlic, grated

  • 1 sprig thyme / 1 tsp dried

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1L vegetable stock

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 tbsp good olive oil

Ingredient notes:

The recipe is vegan as written, but if you want to use chicken stock it will work well.

My preferred vegetable stock is Aneto, it’s expensive but delicious. If you have time to make it yourself, their recipe is on the box: 1L water, 2 onions, 3 carrots, 1 leek, 1 celery stalk, good olive oil, and sea salt. Presumably you cook this for a good while (none of these get very bitter when cooked a long time) and remove the vegetables.

Method

Peel and cube the kohlrabi

Kohlrabi has a thin, edible skin (the leaves are edible too) – but it has a rough texture and can be a bit rubbery and dirty, so I prefer to peel it. Remove the peel with a vegetable peeler.

Chop the kohlrabi into 1” cubes so it cooks relatively quickly.

Make the soup: slower, tastier method

Pre-heat a 3-quart pot on medium-high. Add the olive oil, and once it shimmers (around 30 seconds) add in your chopped onions and 1 tbsp water. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes, until the onions soft. Continue to cook the onions for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown and fragrant.

Add the garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.

Add the kohlrabi, thyme, bay leaf, and stock then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the kohlrabi is soft and can be mashed with a fork.

Remove the sprig of thyme (if using fresh) and the bay leaf.

Make the soup: 20 minute meal

Add everything to the pot except salt, pepper, and finishing oil. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the kohlrabi is soft and can be pierced by a fork.

Remove the bay leaf and sprig of thyme and blend per the instructions below.

Blend the soup

Using a ladle, transfer hot soup to a blender in batches, never filling it more than 1/3 full. Cover the blender with a kitchen towel. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth and transfer to a serving bowl. Continue with the rest of the soup until fully blended. See variations below if you don’t have a blender.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, topped with good olive oil.


Make it a meal:

To turn this into a lunch, serve it with olive oil toast rubbed with garlic. Slice some Polish sausage (or tempeh), pan fry until crispy, and add it to the top of the soup. Use the toast like a spoon.

Recipe notes:

If you don’t have a blender:

  • Cut smaller, bite-size cubes of kohlrabi to eat without blending once its soft

  • Mash the kohlrabi with a potato masher for smaller pieces

  • If you use a food processor or hand blender you’ll get thicker texture, like a puree

  • In a blender you get a silky-smooth soup texture.

For a richer taste, after blending you can add 1/4 cup of heavy cream + 1 tsp sherry vinegar for a richer taste.

Technique videos:

  • How to safely blend hot soup

  • How to quickly clean a blender

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Marko’s perfect cabbage (roasted cabbage with gremolata)

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Rapini with toasted garlic, sesame, and lemon