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 artisan 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.
More Spring Soups You May like
Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 bunches asparagus (about 2¼ pounds/1 kg), 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 (13-mm) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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So easy, so good! Added an extra 1/4 cp of cheese and simmered to thicken a little. Would simmering it down be better than adding less broth? It seems to me that simmering it down would intensify the flavor vs decreasing the broth. My All Clad immersion blender (worth the price) quickly gave me a smooth, beautiful soup. Almost didn’t try this one since I am in love with your asparagus pea soup with feta and mint, but they are each unique. Jenn, you truly are the soup maven.
So glad you enjoyed this Carol,! And, I agree that simmering it versus adding less broth would help to intensify the flavor a bit. 🙂
This is, without doubt, the BEST asparagus soup I have ever tasted! I can’t wait for fresh, local asparagus in the next few months to once again give this recipe its due.
I made this soup as a first course at my last dinner party. I think everyone wanted to lick the bowls clean, but were too polite! My husband asked me to make it again so he could have a bigger bowl. Also, I love your cookbook!
Made the recipe as written and the results were fantastic. My daughter, who does not like asparagus at all, also loved the soup.
I made this and 3 other recipes from recently discovering this website via Facebook. I can’t agree more with the rave reviews of this recipe. Just excellent. Don’t change a thing. Also, I had no fibrous issues with the asparagus and I used an immersion blender. Thank you.
Hi Wendy, Glad you discovered the website and enjoyed the soup! 🙂
I made this soup tonight and it was spectacular! Best asparagus soup and so very easy to make.
This is now my go to recipe.
Thank you for sharing it.
Kristine Eagan-Barnett
Just finished a bowl for lunch and wishing I had brought more! This soup is delicious and addictive.
I just bought asparagus on sale and am always looking for good soup recipes…low and behold I found yours! I added ground coriander for extra seasonings (because I love it) and it paired with the lemon juice nicely. Next time I will try the smoked paprika as you suggested to another reader. Very easy to make and very delicious!
Wow! Just made this asparagus soup with the cheddar soda bread for lunch. Soooo good! My husband loved it as much as I did. Thanks, Jen! I always love your recipes!
This is by far the best Asparagus soup i have tasted.. just loved the flavors and love how simple and easy it is to make. I added bit more of pepper to the soup while cooking the asparagus(we love more pepper😋) and it was very delicious. Definitely on my favorites list of comfort foods😎
Can’t go without saying this Jenn, your blog is amazing😍😍