Your soup recipe should work with the celery, or any of the vegetables, even onions or corn.
Over the years, I have paid attention to the different countries cookings and it is amazing what some of them do with nothing.
I have often wondered if the countries that eat with chopsticks, do so, due to the fact that the pieces are cut so small that the mental effect of eating a lot of tiny pieces and filling up with broth, is enough to make you think you had a big meal.
I think they feed more people with less, than any group that I know of.
I have several times been able to make almost 4 gallons of soup, by putting it on the stove, and throwing the bits and pieces of things into it as I cooked for freezing, it is amazing what one can throw into it, bones, tough onion cores, tough peelings, the French cooks do it, a stock broth for cooking things like your soup.
I did it with the though of soup for the freezer, by the time you have every thing else going, you can look at your big pot, take out what you do not want to see again and now add what you do want in it, squash, okra, tomatoes, and at the end cabbage,
I used the big bags of the cheapest frozen mixed vegetables and of course tomatoes, and potatoes.........serve with corn bread and it is a gift from God.
And looks so good in the freezer.