Asparagus Soup

Why This Recipe Works

Perfect cold-weather soup — This asparagus soup recipe is about to be your new best cold-weather friend. If its beautiful, bright green-yellow color isn’t enough to get you on board, just wait til you hear that there’s parmesan cheese and a hint of lemon in that soup. Warm, cheesy, pretty, delicious — what more could you ask for? 

Great for leftovers — You may want to double this asparagus soup recipe because it’s sooo yummy as leftovers. It heats up well in the microwave but I think it is a little bit better when heated up on the stove. In addition, if you have leftover asparagus or asparagus you need to use up, well, this soup is great for that too! 

Cheesy goodness — You know what’s great in vegetable soup? Cheese of course! And, not just any cheese but nutty, deep, rich, delicious parmesan cheese. There’s not a lot of cream in this soup so adding the parmesan really helps elevate the creaminess. (Add more on top after portioning into soup bowls if you want even more cheesy goodness.) 

Lemon — Add lemon juice for a wonderful brightness and subtle tanginess that pairs perfectly with the asparagus and parmesan. I like to include lemon wedges on the side in case anyone wants an extra squeeze of lemon juice in their soup before eating.

Ingredients

Asparagus Spears — I use medium-sized asparagus spears. If you can only find small, skinny stems, you may want to buy two bunches just in case to make sure you have enough asparagus to make this cream of asparagus soup as flavorful as it can be.

White or Yellow Onion — Use a white or yellow onion in this soup for best results. A red onion will be too biting and acidic and throw off the flavors of this soup. You want an onion with a mild flavor. 

Lemon — Fresh lemon juice is best in this soup but if you only have bottled, that’s okay too.

Milk — For this recipe you can either use milk or fat free half & half, depending on how creamy you’d like the soup to be. The thicker the dairy, the thicker the soup.

Here’s How You Make It

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the diced white or yellow onion and the minced garlic and sauté them both in the butter for a couple minutes or until the onions are translucent and tender. (photos 1-2)
2. Add in the asparagus, fresh lemon juice, and broth, bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer, allowing it to cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender. (photos 3-5)
3. Blend the soup either by transferring it to a blender for blending and then back to the stock pot or using an immersion blender right in the soup. (photos 6-7)
4. After blending, add in the milk, cheese, salt, and pepper and stir the soup until the parmesan is completely melted and incorporated. Top with additional parmesan cheese and another squeeze of lemon if desired. (photos 8-10)