Fresh Asparagus Soup (Printable View)

Light, elegant soup featuring fresh spring asparagus with creamy finish

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 17.6 oz fresh green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces, tips reserved separately
02 - 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
03 - 1 small onion, chopped
04 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups vegetable broth
06 - 5 fl oz heavy cream

→ Seasonings

07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
09 - Pinch of nutmeg, optional
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

→ Garnish

11 - Reserved asparagus tips, blanched
12 - Chopped fresh chives or parsley, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and potato, then sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened but not browned.
02 - Add asparagus stalks, reserving tips for garnish, and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
03 - Pour in vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
04 - While soup simmers, blanch reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside for garnish.
05 - Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a countertop blender, puree soup until smooth.
06 - Stir in cream and bring soup back to a gentle simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg if desired. Add lemon juice to brighten the flavor.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips and fresh herbs.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like spring in a bowl, without any fussy technique or ingredient hunting.
  • The cream makes it feel luxurious but it comes together in about 40 minutes, so you can actually make it on a weeknight.
  • It's naturally elegant enough for guests but honest enough to eat alone with a piece of bread and no apologies.
02 -
  • If you don't blanch the asparagus tips separately, they'll disappear into the puree and you'll lose that lovely garnish that makes the whole thing feel finished.
  • The lemon juice at the end isn't just nice to have; it's essential, because without it the soup tastes rich and a little flat, but with it everything suddenly sings.
  • Taste and season as you go rather than at the very end, because the cream can mute flavors in unexpected ways.
03 -
  • Buy asparagus at the farmers market or a store where it's been displayed upright, because asparagus that's been lying down tends to go bendy and sad faster.
  • If your immersion blender is old or weak, puree the soup in smaller batches in a regular blender for the smoothest result.
  • Warm your serving bowls before ladling the soup into them; this keeps the soup hot and shows you're thinking about the whole experience, not just the cooking.
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