Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
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This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream – just veggies, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese puréed to silky perfection.
One of my favorite soup recipes, this creamy asparagus soup is made without heavy cream – just vegetables, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese puréed to silky perfection. It’s perfect for early spring when asparagus is in peak season and there’s still a chill in the air. Serve with a focaccia or a good crusty bread.
What you’ll need To Make Asparagus Soup
How To Make Asparagus Soup
Begin by melting the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic.
Cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
While that’s going, prep the asparagus. Trim off the tips (you’ll use them for a garnish), then cut the remaining spears into 1/2-inch pieces.
Add the chopped asparagus to the pot, along with the chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches in a blender.
Return the soup to the pot and stir in the fresh lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese.
Finally, cook the asparagus tips in salted boiling water for a few minutes until tender-crisp.
The best way to preserve the bright green color of the tips and keep them crisp is to shock them in an ice bath, but you can also refresh the tips under cold running water.
Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the asparagus tips, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
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Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream – just veggies, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese puréed to silky perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches asparagus (about 2¼ pounds), bottom ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Handful fresh herbs, such as thyme, dill or basil (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- In the meantime, cut the tips off of one bunch of the asparagus and set aside (you'll use those for a garnish). Cut the remaining spears and the other bunch of asparagus into ½-inch pieces.
- Add the chopped asparagus to the pot (minus the reserved tips), along with the chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
- Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the reserved asparagus tips for a few minutes, or until tender-crisp. Drain the tips and then place them in a bowl of ice water to "shock" them -- this stops the cooking process and preserves their bright green color. Once the tips are cool, drain them and set aside.
- Purée the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches, then return the soup to the pot.) Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in the lemon juice and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. To thicken the soup, allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with asparagus tips, Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (The soup will freeze best if you add the cheese when reheating.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 160
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 593 mg
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is one of our favorite soup recipes! We make it as written. Delish.
This soup is absolutely delicious and so easy. My asparagus never makes it to the table anymore in whole pieces. Thank you so much.
Hi Jenn, I have some roasted asparagus in my freezer. Can I use it for this recipe? If so, any adjustments needed (e.g. how much cooked vs raw). Thanks
Hi Trish, you can use roasted frozen asparagus (and you’ll need the same amount — 2.25 pounds). Hope you enjoy!
I was looking for a new soup to add to my (limited) repertoire….This soup is delicious. Very tasty and very healthy. It’s very creamy but without cream! I only used one whole onion, instead of two….Delish!!! Will be on my rotation!
Pls do yourself a favor and make this soup. Make sure you don’t skip the lemon and add an herb, I added thyme and the parmesan cheese. Yummy!! Thank you Chef!
Perfect just as it is!
I made this soup today and it was absolutely delicious. Restaurant quality. Tasted creamy and so good.
Husband was a little iffy on this, but surprisingly he liked it. Added 1/2 tsp pepper as we like more seasoning. Also didn’t have fresh herbs so I added dried basil after the cheese and came out great. I would recommend using a blender as opposed to an immersion blender. Took awhile to blend using the immersion blender. Served with garlic bread sticks.
A wonderful easy recipe and the end result is an absolutely delicious soup!
No heavy cream yet it tastes creamy.
This soup is outstanding! I used 3 packages of frozen asparagus—thawed—-And I used vegetable broth. I’ll be making it often. Excellent alone or maybe add chopped asparagus tips or carrot “pennies”. If you use salted broth —-do not add salt. Love it especially because there is no cream—-yet silky smooth and yummy!
Sorry to say but this was the worst recipe for any variation of asparagus soup that I have ever made. Also the amount of advertising on your site was assaulting
Rude.
You DEFINITELY did it wrong, then. This soup is perfection.
You expect to get something for free and there be no advertising? If you consider this an assault, you may want to move to the country and live off the land.
I made half of recipe which is enough for 2 servings. And we just had it with my husband for dinner. Absolutely delicious! A keeper now.
This is now one of my favourite soups to make for company, with leftovers, of course!
This is a fantastic recipe. Have used both Parmesan and Asiago and it was great with either.
Made 1/2 recipe and 2 of ate the whole batch. It is delicious and a keeper!
I’m absolutely love this recipe. I made this tonight but added extra cheese and let it simmer to thicken. My husband and I agree this is a keeper.
I make this soup pretty regularly in spring when asparagus is plentiful in markets. It is fantastic, made just as written. If I have a Parmesan rind left over, I sometimes put it in the soup as it simmers. Outstanding!
Delicious! I had asparagus I needed to do something with and was tired of the same ole thing. My husband wanted me to make soup, without heavy cream. I googled and found your blog. I added adobe chili pepper and pepper flakes to my bowl, and man, I’m hooked. I just finished a long fast, and this is what I broke it with. This is so pleasant. I will let others know of your site and to try this recipe.
This is the best asparagus soup I’ve made. Sooooo delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Tasted just ok as written. For me, I needed more zip, so added cayenne and some Lawrey season salt. That did it.
I love all your other recipes that I’ve tried on here…only this one was a little lacking for me. Sorry.
Absolute favorite and very healthy.
This is simple and delicious. I’ve made it 5 times this summer, as is (which is saying a lot!) and went and bought end of the season asparagus so I could freeze some and have a taste of summer this winter.
Not sure if I ever commented on this Asparagus Soup as I’ve easily made 75 or more of your recipes in a year. I love the on line Recipes as I make photo copies and have them in a binder. It’s a little harder to make copies from your books. Anyhow, every time I see asparagus on sale I buy it, and make this soup. I used to make it with heavy whipping cream but now prefer the cheese addition much better……and so easy to make. Thank You for sharing your amazing talent. It makes me look so good!!!!
Amazing soup!! Delicious
My 11 year old made it yesterday and it was all gone!!
I had leftover asparagus stems. I used this recipe as a jumping off platform. I trimmed off the dry ends and still had a half a pound of asparagus. I chopped them into 1 inch pieces and cooked them in chicken broth adding salt, pepper, thyme and basil. I sautéed the onions and garlic adding a small amount of chopped carrots and orange bell pepper.
After I called the asparagus and sautéed onions somewhat, I puréed them and returned them to the pot. I added the lemon juice and some uncooked pieces of carrots. When the newly added carrots were cooked, It was done. It tasted wonderful with a few croutons sprinkled on top.
Made the recipe blending in some spinach and a little bit of Ayran (Turkish yoghurt drink with salt). Very delicious!
I made this & it was excellent. I used vegetable broth & added lemon zest to up the lemon flavor.
Otherwise, I made it as-written.
Amazing recipe. So healthy, yet so delicious.
OMG. I live in an area with many asparagus farmers and have been thinking lately about asparagus soup. This recipe is great and also easy to make. Certain to repeated – and often.
I am obsessed with this soup
I’ve made 3 times already this spring – thanks
I had my doubts that an asparagus soup without cream would work, but holy moly! This is my new go to! The lemon gives it such a nice pop. Fantastic recipe! One little thing that I do that I learned from a chef who focused on food waste was that you can take the woody ends that you normally snap off and discard from the asparagus, slice them thinly and sauté them in butter until they are soft, then you can add them in with the rest of the asparagus.
We have a huge asparagus patch in our garden and I needed to find a new way to use up some of the delicious, fresh asparagus. I freeze a lot of asparagus, but we also eat it as much as possible this time of year. This soup fit the bill perfectly! I sautéed my onions before putting in my super fine garlic at the end, so the garlic wouldn’t scorch while the onion became translucent. The recipe was simple and easy to follow. I did end up putting in about 1/2 C whole milk (didn’t have any cream) and because my lemon was giant, I added 1 t. sugar at the end to balance the abundant acid. I used both 1 t. dried parsley and 1/2 t. dried dill because I didn’t have any fresh herbs. I will definitely be making this again! Great recipe! Kudos, Jenn!
This is a recipe I use each year when it is asparagus season. It is so balanced. Friends that don’t like asparagus change their mind when trying this recipe.
Just a great all around recipe. And especially appreciate the tips on freezing.
Also, have many of your other recipes that we use repeatedly like the spiced nuts, chocolate biscotti, kale walnut pesto with pasta, and roast beef. My friend has your book (I loaned her) handy on her kitchen counter as she learns to cook.
Many thanks!
This is thee BEST Asparagus Soup recipe out there! So healthy and delicious!! I always have some in my freezer for a quick lunch…and even breakfast sometimes! Thanks for all your fantastic recipes!
I picked a large bunch of fresh asparagus and wanted to make a soup worthy of its freshness. I normally use cream in my soups but this recipe intrigued me the best asparagus soup I’ve ever made. I had to make a second batch because everyone wanted more. The hint of lemon and parmesan married so well. Thank you.
This is a delicious soup easy to make the only criticism I would make is that you should use the smaller sticks of asparagus as mine was too old giving the soup a lot of fibrous bits.
I used a peeler for the lower part of large stalks and had no fibre.
I sieve the soup to remove the fibrous bits. It’s silky smooth every time!
This soup is delicious, easy and so healthy. I added some Italian spices and a few chilli flakes for a little heat and it was fab. Definately a repeat
I made this soup it was delicious going to make it again and again everybody loved it
I’ve been making this for several years & it is my go to asparagus soup!! We love it! Serving to my Bunko Babes soon…
This is the very best asparagus soup!!! I figured without cream it wouldn’t be good but I was so wrong! Will be making this over and over! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Very nice. I usually follow the recipe as given the first time I try a new recipe, but this time I substituted vegetable stock for the chicken broth (my eldest son, who is a vegetarian, is visiting) and went a little heavier on the Parmesan, salt, and pepper to compensate. Both my son and my youngest daughter, who loves asparagus and Parmesan, kept saying how good it was. Well done Ms. Segal.
I just made this soup. Delicious! Tried it hot and since I love cold soups, also, I plan on eating it cold next.
I make exactly like the recipe with the fresh herb being parsley. This is my new favorite soup and I’ll bring a big pot to friends for easter
Is it necessary to peel the asparagus?
No, just trim off the woody bottoms. 🙂
Wow! Absolutely delicious! Savory, creamy, comforting, you must make this! I loved it so much after making it the first time, I made it again for company. Everyone asked « did you order this from a restaurant? ». I added 3 tablespoons of cream and doubled the Parmesan for company …another winner, thanks Jenn! Thanks for your talents and all the joy you continue to bring to so many cooks and families.
Made this almost as directed – except I skipped the garnish and just used all of the asparagus in the soup – so for those wondering if you can, it tasted fantastic!
Absolutely lovely and easy dish.
This was super easy to make and absolutely delicious. A keeper for sure.
This soup is delicious – I used olive oil as I was out of butter and added red pepper flakes for a kick. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you for posting this! Take care.
Hi! I’m hoping to bring this to Easter dinner. Can I make it a day ahead – refrigerate it over night- and reheat before dinner? Will it still taste as good the day after? Thanks for your thoughts!
Susan
Sure, Susan. You can make this several days ahead if you like and reheat right before dinner. It will be just as delicious. 🙂
This soup actually tasted better the next day 😊
This recipe is so good, my friends are asking me to make it again and again and to give them the recipe. My husband loves it, but insists that I add a little cream. It is delicious!
Easy, tasty, and creamy even though no cream was added. We loved it and will make it again.