Kohlrabi can look a little odd at first glance, but it turns into one of the cleanest, silkiest soups you can make. Its flavor sits somewhere between broccoli stems, cabbage, and a mild turnip, with a gentle sweetness that loves warm spices, lemon, herbs, and olive oil.

Kohlrabi looks like it arrived from another planet, but it cooks like a friendly root vegetable and tastes like the best parts of cabbage, broccoli stems, and turnips. In soup, it turns tender, mild, and slightly sweet. That makes it useful in creamy purées, chunky vegetable soups, brothy chicken pots, and simple weeknight bowls. If you have ever walked past kohlrabi at the market because you were not sure what to do with it, soup is the perfect place to start. It gives the v