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.
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.