- 3 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 2 Yellow onionsmedium, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlicpeeled and minced
- 2 bunches Asparagusabout 2 ¼ lbs, bottom ends trimmed
- 6 cups Chicken brothlow-sodium, divided
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepperfreshly ground, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp Lemon juicefreshly squeezed, from about 1 small lemon
- ½ cup Parmesan cheeseshredded, plus more for garnish
For garnish:
- Fresh thymeleaves
Asparagus Soup
Inspired by crème d’asperges, a classic French recipe, this Asparagus Soup is silky-smooth, flavorful and utterly delicious. It is made, too, with just a few ingredients but uses Parmesan cheese instead of cream. This low-work yet high-payoff recipe turns a bunch of asparagus, a few pats of butter, onions, garlic, chicken broth, and Parmesan into a luxurious dish. It makes a comforting starter for six, or main course for four.
This recipe is ridiculously simple to make. To start, melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions and garlic. Sauté the vegetables, stirring often, until soft and translucent. While the onions cook, chop the asparagus into small pieces. Reserve the asparagus tips for garnish and add the rest into the pot along with the chicken broth, salt and black pepper. Simmer until the asparagus is tender. Then purée the soup until very smooth. Reheat the soup, then stir in the lemon juice and cheese. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the blanched asparagus tips, freshly grated Parmesan, fresh thyme leaves and a grind of black pepper. Enjoy!
To make the Asparagus Soup, you will need the following ingredients:
Steps to make Asparagus Soup
1 | Melt butter | 2 |
In a large pot over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. | ||
2 | Cook onions and garlic | 8 |
Add 2 chopped onions and 3 minced garlic cloves and sauté, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low if necessary. | ||
3 | Prepare asparagus | 2 |
Meanwhile, cut the tips off the asparagus and set aside. Cut the remaining spears into ½-inch pieces. | ||
4 | Add asparagus, chicken broth, salt and pepper | 1 |
Add the chopped asparagus to the pot (without the reserved tips), 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (reserving 1 cup to thin out the soup if necessary), ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. | ||
5 | Simmer | 40 |
Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the asparagus is very tender, about 30 minutes. | ||
6 | Blanch asparagus tips | 5 |
In the meantime, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Once at a boil, add in the reserved asparagus tips. Cook until tender-crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Drain the tips and then refresh them in a bowl of ice water. Once the tips are cool, drain well and set aside. | ||
7 | Puree the soup | 2 |
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until completely smooth. Alternatively, use a blender to purée the soup in batches, then pour the soup back into the pot. | ||
8 | Add lemon juice and cheese | 1 |
Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary. To thin the soup, add the reserved chicken broth if desired. | ||
9 | Serve | |
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with blanched asparagus tips, shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme leaves, and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy! | ||
Recipe Reviews
Incredible delicious soup recipe! Thanks for sharing!
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