Cheesy Gratin Celery with béchamel, I know, you also use celery just for making the soffritto and many times not even for that because you don’t like it.
With this recipe, I assure you that you will change your mind as we did, luckily I have vegetarian followers who suggest their recipes to me (like this one) and they surely surprise me.
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Just a few days ago, when I told a follower that I make stuffed celery boats, they suggested I try it like this, and it was a wonderful discovery.
A simple béchamel that you can make vegan if you want, with plant-based milk and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter and milk. Additionally, you can add cooked ham between the layers of celery to make it more appetizing.
DID YOU KNOW:
Up there, where the magnifying glass is, you can click on “SEARCH” 🔎, you can write the ingredient that you find when you open the fridge or your pantry, and you’ll have access to hundreds of recipes with the ingredient you’ve chosen.
YOU’LL BE AMAZED.
I hope I convinced you to try it because my husband doesn’t like cooked celery, and this time he literally licked his lips and suggested that next time we try it with some stewed onions scattered here and there, so I’ll be doing that soon.
Below, I leave you other celery recipes, and then let’s go under the photo to discover how to prepare Cheesy Gratin Celery!!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for preparing Cheesy Gratin Celery
- 2.2 lbs celery
- 5.3 oz mozzarella for pizza (or other melting cheese of choice)
- 1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.3 cups milk (also skimmed or plant-based)
- 2 tbsps butter (or extra virgin olive oil for the vegetarian version)
- 0.9 oz flour (or cornstarch)
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste nutmeg
- 2 pinches black pepper (ground)
Tools
- 1 Baking dish rectangular ovenproof
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Pot
- 1 Small pan
- 1 Scale
Preparation of Cheesy Gratin Celery
To prepare the Cheesy Gratin Celery, first, prepare the béchamel by melting the butter in a small pan.
Add the flour and, still on the stove, mix to incorporate it into the butter until it detaches from the sides.
Add the milk a little at a time and, while stirring, cook the béchamel until reaching the desired consistency.
If you want to do it faster, you can make it in the microwave.
In the meantime, detach the celery stalks and use a peeler to remove the strings.
Cut it into pieces as long as the baking dish you will use to gratin it.
Bring a pot of slightly salted water to a boil and cook the celery for 10 minutes, then drain it and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°F in static mode and sprinkle a little salt on the bottom of the baking dish.
Season the béchamel with salt and nutmeg, then mix and spread a few tablespoons on the bottom of the baking dish.
Make a first layer with the celery stalks, trying to cover the whole surface, sprinkle with béchamel.
Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and distribute a couple of tablespoons over the béchamel.
Add a handful of grated cheese.
Make a second layer of celery, more béchamel, grated cheese, and mozzarella until all ingredients are used up.
Bake the cheesy gratin celery in the center rack, covering the baking dish with parchment paper for the first 10 minutes.
Then remove the parchment paper and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to store the Cheesy Gratin Celery
You can store it in the refrigerator well covered with plastic wrap for 2 days.
