Food and Recipes Veggies 20 Flavorful Ways to Use Up That Extra Celery By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on January 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Everyone has some memory of eating ants on a log as a child. Whether you devoured or took small mouthfuls in disgust, they were a snack time staple. And, as adults, we can see why. The benefits of celery are numerous. The vibrant, leafy, crunchy stalk is loaded with antioxidants and 25 anti-inflammatory compounds, known to benefit cells, blood vessels, and organs. You'll find vitamins A, C, and K, along with potassium and a boost to your digestive system. Celery has been shown to help decrease ulcers and improve the stomach lining, plus, it's got a high water content and plenty of fiber. If you find a few wallowing stalks in your vegetable crisper, don't throw them out. Instead, try one of these tasty celery recipes. While not always the main star, celery is often a key aromatic, especially in soup. Even the ants on a log get a grown-up makeover, becoming Stuffed Celery with Cream Cheese and Walnuts. From a comforting celery soup recipe to a retro celery salad recipe, you'll soon discover this veggie has a lot to offer. 01 of 20 Stuffed Celery Recipe with Cream Cheese and Walnuts Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Honey-infused cream cheese gets piped into crispy and crunchy celery, with toasted walnuts for garnish. 02 of 20 Apple, Celery, and Romaine Salad Recipe with Pancetta and Blue Cheese Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling This pretty, refreshing salad is a great way to start any fall dinner. 03 of 20 Emeril's Watercress and Celery Salad Southern Living Recipe: Emeril's Watercress and Celery Salad The key to the celebrity chef's salad is to peel the celery. This ensures it's nice and tender as you run it on the mandolin. 04 of 20 Easy Black-Eyed Peas Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Easy Black-Eyed Peas Every Southerner knows that the key to amazing black-eyed peas is the broth. That's where the celery comes in, playing the important role as a member of the sacred onion-carrot-celery trinity. 05 of 20 Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad Southern Living Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad Depending on what camp you're in, celery is a no-go or total hit in the chicken salad. This version incorporates the crunchy veggie along with creamy mayo and a splash of lemon juice. Picked relish and boiled eggs, however, are optional. 06 of 20 Classic Cranberry Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Cranberry Salad We're hedging the bet that after you try this salad, you'll abandon the traditional congealed version. Celery and toasted pecans give a refreshing and surprising crunch. 07 of 20 Nana's Lime Delight Southern Living Recipe: Nana's Lime Delight This gelatin salad is a study in textural contrast. Creamy mayonnaise and cream cheese meet pecans, celery, and crushed pineapple in a creation that could have only come from grandma's recipe box. 08 of 20 Salmon Cakes Micah A. Leal Recipe: Salmon Cakes While salmon is certainly the star, this recipe begins by caramelizing the red onion and celery, which impart an earthy, subtle sweetness. 09 of 20 Turkey Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Turkey Salad For just the right amount of crunch, you'll finely chop some celery and shallot to add into our best-ever version of the Turkey Salad. 10 of 20 Easy Cauliflower Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Easy Cauliflower Casserole This might be the sneaky way to swap mac and cheese for some veggies. Cream of celery soup will do just fine if you're out of cream of chicken. 11 of 20 Cabbage Casserole Photography: Victor Protasio, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck, Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cabbage Casserole This casserole manages to encapsulate a few things we love, mainly coleslaw and potatoes au gratin. With its Parmesan-breadcrumb topping and crunchy celery and cabbage filling, it somehow manages to be fresh and comforting at the same time. 12 of 20 Buffalo Chicken Casserole Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Casserole If you turn spicy chicken wings into a casserole, we'll be right there. This one is like a buffalo wings platter in a cozy bowl: plenty of Cheddar and crumbled blue cheese, hot sauce, carrots, and celery. 13 of 20 Classic Hoppin' John Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton Recipe: Classic Hoppin' John Celery is part of the ensemble cast of aromatics, which include onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme. 14 of 20 Slow-Cooker Green Minestrone Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Green Minestrone Scallions, leeks, celery, spinach, and sweet peas provide the greenery for this spring soup. 15 of 20 Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Say hello to comforting soup in 35 minutes. Sautéed carrots, onions, celery, and garlic form the flavorful base. 16 of 20 Festive Cranberry-Walnut Salad Jennifer Causey Pull out this conversation-starting salad during the holidays. Walnuts, cranberries, pineapple, and celery sit, dramatically suspended, in a lemon-lime gelatin. 17 of 20 Southwestern-Style Spoonbread Dressing Laurey W. Glenn This is a recipe that does it all. Standout weeknight side dish. Worthy of a place on the holiday sideboard. It's an easy thing to love, with crumbled cornbread, herb stuffing, and the good aromatics: celery, cumin, red pepper. 18 of 20 Three-Bean Pasta Salad Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan Recipe: Three-Bean Pasta Salad Celery is the unexpected star of this hearty pasta dish, providing vibrant color and a tender-crisp texture. 19 of 20 Mini Shrimp Rolls Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Mini Shrimp Rolls These shrimp salad sliders are perfect for a summer cookout. Succulent shrimp and crisp celery are the stars, finely dressed in mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon juice, and fresh chives. 20 of 20 Best Waldorf Salad Southern Living Recipe: Best Waldorf Salad In keeping with the tradition of this notable salad, celery, apples, grapes, pecans, and raisins get a light coating of mayonnaise. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit