4-Ingredient Sautéed Celery
Packed with flavor, this 4-Ingredient Sautéed Celery is a quick, easy, and healthy side dish. It is a dairy-free and gluten-free recipe.
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Raw celery is delicious to snack on with hummus or peanut butter or in a salad. But have you tried it cooked?
When I say cooked, I don’t mean as in a celery curry or celery soup. But more a light sauté with a few spices and lots of celery.
Does Celery taste good cooked?
To me, celery tastes delicious when it is cooked. Celery, like cucumber, tends to absorb the flavors of the spices it is cooked with while losing a bit of its strong flavour. And if cooked for just a brief moment, it has the perfect crunch to it, too!
How long does celery take to cook?
In my experience, celery sautéed for 5-7 minutes over a stovetop set to medium heat retains its crunch while mellowing out its flavor and absorbing the spices and herbs it is cooked with. The result is a celery saute that is tasty and has the perfect texture.
What are the ingredients needed for this Sautéed Celery recipe?
For this easy side dish, you will need the following 4 main ingredients:
- Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Ginger
- A whole bunch of celery
- Harissa
Along with some olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Optional garnishes are fresh parsley leaves and red pepper flakes.
Substitutions
- Garlic + Ginger
I love the flavor of fresh garlic and fresh ginger and feel they complement the celery well. Most stores sell peeled and chopped garlic and ginger, and these could be used instead.
- Celery
Celery is the star of this dish. It is loaded with vitamins and nutrients that are said to help with everything from digestion to weight management. And, for this dish, I do not have any substitutions for it.
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- Harissa
I chose to use harissa, as the one I have is a delicious blend of paprika, caraway, crushed red chili pepper, cayenne, and coriander. However, Harissa can be substituted with Berbere, Ras el Hanout, or any other spice blend or flavored sauces you have on hand. You could also just add in soy sauce instead of the harissa and salt.
Variations
This is a versatile and easy celery recipe. While most of the time I make it with the ingredients listed, there have been many a time when I have added in some chickpeas, carrots, and peas.
Directions
- This is such an easy dish.
- Start by peeling and chopping up the garlic and ginger.
- Wash the celery and cut it into smaller pieces. You can make it fancy and cut the stalks into diagonal pieces if you prefer.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over a stovetop set to medium heat/flame.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and celery to the skillet.
- Sprinkle on the harissa and stir all the ingredients together well.
- Let the mixture saute for about 5-7 minutes until the celery starts to soften a bit and lose its vibrant coloring. Stir the ingredients often so they don’t burn.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Totally optional is to garnish this side dish with some red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
What works with this celery dish?
This 4-Ingredient Sautéed Celery pairs well with some harissa lemon chicken, air fryer salmon, as well as these chicken cakes.
This dish can be served with some meatless meatballs as well as these turkey balls. This celery dish also pairs well with these grilled veggies or in this salmon and sweet potato bowl.
It will also fair well with any holiday or Thanksgiving side dishes.
Storage
Leftovers of this 4-Ingredient Sautéed Celery can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Reheating
It is best to reheat leftovers of this dish in a greased skillet over medium heat for a minute or two. Leftovers can also be microwaved for about 30 seconds in a microwave-safe dish.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 garlic clove (approximately 3 tsp)
- 1 inch chunk of ginger (approximately 2 tsp)
- 5 stalks celery
- 2 tsp harissa
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- OPTIONAL: Fresh parsley red pepper flakes to garnish with
Instructions
- Start by peeling and chopping up the garlic and ginger.
- Wash the celery and cut it into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over a stovetop set to medium heat/flame.
- Add the chopped garlic, ginger, and celery to the skillet.
- Sprinkle on the harissa and stir all the ingredients together well.
- Let the mixture saute for about 5-7 minutes until the celery starts to soften a bit and lose its vibrant coloring. Stir the ingredients often so they don’t burn.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Totally optional is to serve this dish garnishes with some red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
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This is definitely the recipe for celery lovers haha. I actually like sometimes fresh celery in salads, but for cooking I only use it when making pasta ragu. This dish, however, looks quite lovely. I think also a touch of honey could balance out the flavour even further.
I have never had cooked celery, unless in a stew or soup. I bet the harissa makes this amazing!
Interesting! We use a lot of celery around here – both raw and cooked in recipes like soups. But I don’t think I’ve ever had sauteed celery as the main ingredient in a recipe. I’m intrigued – it sounds yummy!!
My mom always used celery to make stirfries. This looks light, yet so packed full with flavours.
Never thought to try cooking celery. This is fantastic!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Absolutely delish!
I have a bunch of celery and I am tempted to try this now! Fantastic recipe!
I don’t think I’ve ever had sautéed celery! Making this tonight with some salmon! Sounds delicious!