This winter vegetable chowder is built on an unexpected combination of cold-weather vegetables: leeks, celery root, cauliflower, and parsnips. All creamy-white and a tiny bit sweet when cooked down slowly. Grainy mustard and bright lemon cut through with sharpness and keep the chowder from feeling heavy. The crispy roasted cabbage on top adds crunch that makes every bowl feel complete. It’s a great one for a cozy weekend lunch. Serve it with my no-knead whole wheat bread on the side to sop up every last bit.
The technique that makes this soup more chowder-like rather than a pureed soup is simple: blend only half of the cooked components. Half the vegetables get blended until completely smooth, then stirred back into the chunky half. The result is thick, luscious, and substantial. Old Bay seasoning brings a celery-salt vibe that ties everything together. A small amount of nutritional yeast adds savory depth in the background.
The crispy cabbage is worth the extra oven time. Sliced into half-inch strips, tossed in olive oil, and roasted at 400°F until the edges are browned and a little caramelized. I can eat the full amount in this recipe on my own, it’s that good. A sprinkle of Old Bay, caraway seeds, or za’atar on the cabbage before roasting takes it even further.
Go easy on the lemon the first night if you’re planning on leftovers. A full lemon can be a bit assertive right away, but the flavor mellows beautifully by the next day. The chowder is honestly better on day two.
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Winter Vegetable Chowder with Mustard & Lemon
Ingredients
Crispy Cabbage
- ¼ head green cabbage, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- optional seasonings: Old Bay, celery salt, caraway seeds, garlic powder, za'atar, whatever you like!
Chowder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 1 leek, small dice (white and light green part only)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 small celery root, peeled and chopped
- 3 cups small cauliflower florets
- 1 ½ tablespoons grainy mustard
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
- 3 ½ cups vegetable stock
Equipment
- Blender
Notes
- Feel free to mix it up vegetable-wise, maybe swapping in some squash, sweet potatoes and carrots for more of a deep orange chowder.
- You could add some cooked white beans for an extra hit of satiation too.
- Also, be aware of your the salt additions. Old Bay seasoning is quite salty.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the crispy cabbage. Place the sliced cabbage onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Pour the 2 teaspoons of olive oil over top, season with salt and pepper and add any spices you like. Toss lightly to combine and spread cabbage out evenly on the baking sheet. Slide the sheet into the oven and roast the cabbage for 13-17 minutes, or until browned on the edges and crispy in parts. You’ll have to flip the cabbage around a few times while it’s roasting. Keep it warm.
- Make the chowder. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and continue to sauté until the leeks are soft, about 5 minutes more. Add the minced garlic and thyme to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped parsnips, celery root, and cauliflower florets to the pot and stir to coat in the oil. Add the grainy mustard, salt + pepper to taste, nutritional yeast, and Old Bay. Stir to coat all the vegetables in spice. Add the lemon juice to the pot and stir. Add the vegetable stock to the pot, stir again, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the lid and lower heat to simmer. Let the chowder cook and bubble until the parsnips and celery root pieces are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully ladle half of the chowder into an upright blender and carefully purée until smooth. Pour the puréed portion of chowder back into the soup pot and bring it back to a boil. Check the chowder for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and serve hot with some crispy cabbage on top
The directions never indicate when to add the nutritional yeast. I’m guessing with the liquid, but just thought I would mention it.
Thank you for catching this, Gwen. I’ve updated the recipe!
-L
Used French mustard, wow what an amazing kick.
I love anything tart and briny so this was right up my alley with the mustard and lemon. The roasted cabbage was great on its own and mixed into the chowder for a mix of textures. I also added white beans which worked well to make it heartier for dinner. I used a whole lemon so it was a bit strong on the lemon flavour the first night but the leftovers the next day were a bit more mellow with more of the other flavours coming through.
What a brilliant recipe! Thank you for all you share. A big hit on a very, very cold night. I decided to roast the veggies in a bit of olive oil and seasoning, added some cassoulet beans, used sweet potato, turnips and celeriac. Great idea to add nutritional yeast! I think you produce one of the best recipe blogs for us veggie focused folks. Thank you again!