Light Elegant Asparagus Soup (Printable Version)

Delicate spring asparagus soup with cream, finished with fresh herbs and blanched tips. Vegetarian and gluten-free.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 lb 2 oz fresh green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces, tips reserved
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 tbsp unsalted butter
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
09 - Pinch of nutmeg
10 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

→ Garnish

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

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and potato, sautéing for 4-5 minutes until softened but not browned.
02 - Add asparagus stalks (reserving tips) and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
03 - Pour vegetable broth into the saucepan, 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 1-2 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside for garnish.
05 - Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Alternatively, blend in batches using a countertop blender.
06 - Stir in cream and bring soup to a gentle simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add lemon juice to brighten flavor.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with blanched asparagus tips and fresh herbs.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feels fancy enough to serve guests but honest enough to make on a Tuesday night without fussing.
  • Fresh asparagus gets transformed into something luxurious without any pretense or complicated technique.
  • The whole thing happens in your kitchen in under 45 minutes, so you're actually eating soup instead of planning to make it someday.
02 -
  • Don't skip blanching the asparagus tips separately—they'll stay vibrant and tender instead of turning to mush in the hot broth, which is the difference between gorgeous and sad.
  • The lemon juice at the end is not optional; it's the thing that makes you wonder why this soup tastes so much better than the one you made last month, and the answer is acid.
03 -
  • Buy asparagus that snaps when you bend it, not the limp stalks at the bottom of the pile; they're the difference between a soup that tastes like spring and one that tastes like you made it from what was left over.
  • If your immersion blender feels like a luxury you don't have, a regular blender works just as well—just be patient with the steam and don't fill it more than halfway to avoid a hot soup incident.
Return