Spring Green Asparagus Soup
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If you love asparagus but have never tried asparagus soup, then you’re in for a real treat. This velvety, smooth and flavorful soup will steal your heart.
As you’re probably aware, Spring always brings an abundance of fresh green vegetables; amongst which I consider asparagus to be king. And when it rolls around, I always find a way to incorporate asparagus into tons of different dishes. For example, check out these Potato Egg Cutlets with Asparagus, or my Turkey Alfredo Meatballs with Asparagus.
Is Asparagus the King of Spring Vegetables?
Well, that’s probably a bit too controversial to say – and I don’t want to get into “politics”. Obviously, there are those who do not fancy the taste of asparagus. But, if you happened to be one of the people who absolutely love it, then I’m sure you’ll agree with this statement.
Admittedly, artichokes might be a close competitor, but even though they’re super delicious, they do require some work. On the other hand, asparagus is so super easy to work with. You just need to break it at the point where it naturally breaks and then you’re ready to cook it. You could just place it on a baking sheet, sprinkle it with some parmesan, and then roast it (this recipe for roasted asparagus is to die for).
So, tell me…do you call the asparagus, a king of spring vegetables?
Spring Green Asparagus Soup for the Soul
If you’re a foodie then I’m sure you’re familiar with the feeling of connecting with a dish on a deeper level. It’s a thing that you can’t really explain, but once you’ve experienced its euphoria you don’t want it to end (which can trap you in a food rut, so use caution).
When you take the first bite of this asparagus soup, I’m sure that you too will be wishing for the bowl to be bottomless. Personally, I find my pace of spoon-to-mouth is still super accelerated.
You’ll find this soup connects with all your senses and your soul (and I mean it). Hopefully, you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing this type of relationship with a soup. If you haven’t though, then give this asparagus soup a shot and let me know if you feel it.
What to buy in the grocery store?
Sometimes the best things come in the simplest forms. This rings particularly true with this fantastic spring soup. A few simple ingredients are all you’ll need:
- Fresh Green Asparagus – you’ll want to pick rather thick ones (they’re most “meaty”). Mind you, you’ll frequently find very thin asparagus in grocery stores, but they’re better for roasting.
- Yellow Potatoes – their mild taste and starchy content work well in this soup. They thicken the soup when pureed.
- Leek – if you buy a large leek, one will be enough. If you can only find rather small leeks, then buy two of them.
- Sweet Onion – Vidalia onions have a sweet, mild taste that really enhances this soup; but if you can’t find it, then use a yellow onion.
- Unsalted butter to sauté the veggies – you can substitute it with ghee or olive oil.
- Broth – you can use homemade chicken broth or a store-bought one; you can use vegetable broth or bouillon and water. I like to use homemade broth with the addition of some bouillon to achieve a deeper taste.
- Heavy Cream – this will add just enough creaminess to achieve a velvety finish on this soup.
- Seasoning: salt, pepper, and lemon juice – the amount of salt will depend on the saltiness of your broth. I would suggest adding more salt at the end when your soup is totally cooked and ready to season to your taste. I highly recommend adding a splash of fresh lemon juice, as this enhances the flavor. Add as much black pepper as you’d like.
- Extras: freshly chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil for serving.
TIP: If you want to make this soup VEGAN, then simply use oil and skip the butter. Also, use water or vegetable broth, and obviously don’t use the heavy cream.
Easy Steps to Make Green Asparagus Soup
Prepare your veggies: if you prepare your veggies ahead of time then the process of making this soup will be so much easier and quicker.
- Wash the leeks, peel the onions and then chop your onions and leeks;
- Peel and cut your potatoes;
- Break the asparagus spears, where they naturally break; then cut off the tops and cut the rest into 2” pieces
Making the soup:
- Heat up your butter, clarified butter, or olive oil, in a Dutch Oven or other heavy pan; add onions and leeks and sautee them until translucent, for about 5 minutes;
- Add potatoes and cook for another couple of minutes;
- Add stock; cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are almost cooked;
- Add cut-up asparagus (saving the tops), cover, and cook for another 10 minutes. Then either using a handheld blender or putting the soup in batches to your blender, blend it until smooth. Pour blended soup back into the pot.
- Add heavy cream, mix and cook for 2 more minutes;
- Check for seasoning; add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, taste, and adjust accordingly to your tastes.
How to Serve This Soup:
Serving the soup:
- Fill your bowls;
- Add as many asparagus tops as you’d like (they’ll soften a little in the hot broth, but they will add a nice crunch for texture); if you don’t like your asparagus too crunchy, add the top pieces of asparagus spears to the pot with the cream so they can cook for 2 minutes;
- Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh parsley for serving;
- You can serve with a piece of fresh bread or you can make croutons as I made for this Spinach Cream Soup. The choice is yours. Enjoy!
Other delicious soups to try:
- Polish Chunky Mushroom Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- European Style Brussels Sprouts Soup
- Instant Pot Bean Soup with Pesto
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup
Spring Green Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter or Ghee, or Olive Oil
- 1 Leek Large or 2 small, chopped
- 1/2 Vidalia Onion Peeled and chopped
- 4 Potatoes Yellow, medium sized, cubed
- 2 Bunches Green Asparagus Broken, Cut up* (See Notes)
- 4-6 cups Broth Chicken or Vegetables, start with 4 cups and add more as needed
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- A Squeeze of Lemon Juice to taste
- Fresh Parsley to serve
- Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to serve
Instructions
Prepare your veggies:
- If you prepare your veggies ahead of time then the process of making this soup will be so much easier and quicker.
- Wash and chop your onions and leeks;
- Peel and cut your potatoes;
- Break the asparagus spears, where they naturally break; then cut off the tops and cut the rest into 2” pieces.
Making the Soup
- Heat up your butter, clarified butter, or olive oil, in a Dutch Oven or other heavy pan; add onions and leeks and sauté them until translucent, for about 5 minutes;
- Add potatoes and cook for another couple of minutes;
- Add stock; cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are almost cooked;
- Add cut-up asparagus (saving the tops), cover, and cook for another 10 minutes;
- Add heavy cream, mix and cook for 2 more minutes;
- Check for seasoning; add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, taste, and adjust accordingly to your tastes.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in March 2020
This Asparagus soup is the best ever!!! Prep took a little longer than expected but it is the bomb!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much. We love it too.
I am so excited to try this soup! I had an incredible bowl of asparagus soup with crab at a restaurant that I am trying to duplicate. Most of the recipes I have seen/tried are a bit bland. I can see by the ingredients this will be anything BUT bland! The restaurant told me they used both chicken broth and a bit of clam broth for the base. I think I will try 5 cups chicken and 1 cup clam. I will add about 1/4 cup crabmeat to each bowl. Thank you for posting!
Don’t you need to process in a blender to make the soup “velvety smooth” or did I miss something?