I love this asparagus soup! It has a lovely mild asparagus flavor with a creamy and velvety texture, making it a springtime favorite around here. This recipe has few ingredients with the star being the fresh asparagus. There’s nothing like fresh vegetables when they are in season.
The first time I had this soup was at a bridal shower about 30 years ago. The guests all raved about it and everyone got the recipe. I’ve made a few changes, but the basic recipe remains the same and it’s my go-to asparagus soup. I love to serve this during Easter, at a bridal/baby shower or any family gathering during the spring. It’s a great make ahead soup and it freezes well too!
HERE’S HOW I MADE IT
Grab two bunches of fresh asparagus, trim and discard the woody end. Trim the tips and reserve. Roughly chop the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces, chop a small-to-medium size onion (or half a large onion) and grate a medium garlic clove. Everything gets puréed in a food processor later, so you don’t need to perfectly dice the vegetables. Place them in a pot and cover with chicken stock, about half a container. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Note: Want to make this vegetarian? Use vegetable stock instead.
Once tender, purée the vegetables in a food processor or blender until smooth to get that velvety texture. Be careful when puréeing hot liquids – they tend to explode! Always cover the food processor or blender with a kitchen towel and work in small batches. Pulse on low at first and once the hot liquid begins to emulsify, increase the speed and purée until it reaches the desired consistency.
Note: As you can see I tried a shortcut with an immersion blender, but it didn’t purée completely. I still had some fibers in the pot so I ended up transferring to a food processor and puréeing soup. Worked like a charm!
In a separate pan, cook the asparagus tips in some water until tender, then plunge in ice water to stop the cooking process and set the bright green color. Drain on a paper towel and set the tips aside.
Now you’ll need a roux to thicken the soup. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Stir for a few minutes to cook out the flour taste. When the roux is bubbling, lower the heat and add the remaining chicken stock, kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk well to remove any lumps. As the stock thickens, add the puréed vegetables and whole milk or half and half. Stir well to combine.
Add the sour cream to a small bowl and slowly whisk in a ladle or two of soup until smooth. Once combined, add the sour cream mixture back into the soup along with a few dashes of nutmeg and lemon juice. The lemon brightens up the flavors so don’t leave it out.
Whisk together, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Taste and reseason, if needed. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche and a few asparagus tips. You can also toast some French bread to serve as some nice large croutons on the side. Such a beautiful soup and a lovely first course!
This soup can be made a few days ahead of time or frozen up to two months. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator the day before and warm through prior to serving.
I hope you enjoy it! Leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it.
Creamy Asparagus Soup
A lovely and delicate creamy asparagus soup. Perfect for Easter, a shower or any Spring gathering. The star ingredient is the fresh asparagus. Dollop with sour cream or crème fraîche and garnish with asparagus tips. Your guests will rave about this soup.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into i-inch pieces and tips reserved
- 1 small-medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
- 1 32-ounce container of chicken stock can substitute with vegetable stock
- 3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- about 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (season to taste) prefer Diamond brand
- about ½ teaspoon black pepper (season to taste)
- 2 cups whole milk, room temperature can substitute with half-and-half
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- a few dashes of ground nutmeg
- juice of half a lemon
- Garnish with sour cream and asparagus tips
Instructions
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Trim the asparagus and discard the woodsy bottom, reserve the tip and roughly dice the rest into 1-inch pieces. Dice a small-medium size onion and a clove of garlic. Add to a stock pot and cover with chicken stock, about half of the container, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender.
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Working in small batches, transfer the vegetables to a food processor and purée.
NOTE: BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN BLITZING HOT LIQUID AS THEY TEND TO EXPLODE AND CAN EASILY BURN YOU. You can also wait until vegetables are cool and purée then.
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In a small pan, cook the asparagus tips in a little water until tender. Submerge them in ice water to stop the cooking process and set the bright color. Transfer to a paper towel to dry and set aside. You'll use the tips to garnish the soup at the end.
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Make a roux by melting 3 Tablespoons of butter in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of flour, stir to combine and cook the flour for a few minutes. Add the remaining chicken stock, kosher salt and black pepper and whisk to blend and smooth out any lumps.
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Add a cup of sour cream to a small bowl and slowly add a ladle of soup or two at a time while whisking until smooth. Add this mixture back into the soup along with a few dashes of nutmeg and the juice of half a lemon. Whisk to combine.
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Cover and cook over low-medium heat for about 20 minutes.
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Serve hot and garnish with sour cream or crème fraîche and asparagus tips.
Recipe Notes
This soup can be made a few days ahead and warmed through before serving.
To freeze, allow the soup to cool at room temperature before transferring to a freezer safe container up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before warming up.
