Cream of Asparagus Soup is simple to prepare and perfect when asparagus is in season. Made in one pot with only 5 ingredients, then blended until smooth and finished with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.
My family loves asparagus and I try to come up with different ways to serve it. I came up with this recipe which is similar to my potato leek soup where water is used instead of chicken stock. Since asparagus is a delicate vegetable, I didn’t want to use chicken stock for this soup. Leave the chicken stock for chicken soup.
There’s nothing much to write about here. I could tell you about my day and such, but why don’t we just get down to the recipe?
Slice off the bottoms of the asparagus and discard or compost them. I usually slice off about 2 inches or so. The bottoms are woody and hard and not welcome in this soup. Some of the tips are reserved for serving. If you don’t care about presentation, just coarsely chop the asparagus. Otherwise, slice about 2 inches from the tops off and chop the remaining spears.
Saute onions and garlic until softened and fragrant. Add the asparagus to the onions along with a good pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. If you’re reserving tips for serving, now is the time to remove some and set aside. They should be tender at this point. I use 2 tops per serving of soup.
Add the water and a few pinches of salt. Taste the water and salt to your liking. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, until the asparagus are nice and tender. This should take about 15 minutes.
Blend the soup until smooth then return to pot. Heat the soup until it just starts to simmer. Add in the evaporated milk. Yes, evaporated milk. It’s the same way I make my potato leek soup and it’s awesome! Ladle into bowls and top with reserved tips, if using, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Love asparagus? Check out roasted asparagus with mozzarella and roasted asparagus with Parmesan.
Want more great soups? You must try:
- Peruvian shrimp soup
- French lentil soup with bacon
- Sweet potato vegetable soup
- Silky smooth cauliflower soup
Life is too short for mediocre food.
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Cream of Asparagus Soup
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 tablespoon butter
- 2 onions diced
- 2 pounds asparagus spears trimmed
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups water
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Slice off the bottoms of the asparagus and discard or compost them. I usually slice off about 2 inches or so because the bottoms are woody and hard and not welcome in this soup. Slice about 2 inches from the top of the spear and reserve for presentation. If you don’t care about that, just coarsely chop the asparagus.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onions until softened, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Stir in the asparagus and a pinch or two of salt, cook for about 4 minutes to lightly brown. Remove some tips, if desired, for garnish and set aside.
- Add the water, stir, and taste. Add a good pinch or two of salt as needed. Bring to a boil and once it starts to boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook until asparagus are tender, about 15 minutes. If using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
- If using a blender, carefully transfer the soup into the blender leaving enough headspace on top. When it blends it will rise and you don’t want it to overflow or burn you. You may have to do this in 2 batches.
- Return soup into saucepan over medium heat until it just comes back to a simmer. Stir in evaporated milk and taste and season with more salt as necessary. Remove from heat.
- If you reserved the asparagus tops, slice the tops in half lengthwise. Ladle soup into bowls and top with two or three asparagus tops and freshly ground pepper.
- Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy.
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