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.
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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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This is really, really good! I like that doesn’t have cream in it. And the cheese and Parmesan makes it a little less asparagusy! I will definitely make again!
Loved this. I added lemon zest also. I will try switching parmesan with ricotta next time for a variation. I did find the soup stringy, even after blending, but that points to my asparagus, not the recipe! I added some savoury thyme on the top for serving & blended the parmesan into the soup. A nice alteration would be to use cauliflower for creaminess also.
Excellent soup. Not too asparagusy yet balanced with parmesan.
Simple, fairly quick recipe was good for a work night with a good grainy buttered bread. I was just cooking for 2 so I just cooked and blended the tips with the rest. We are vegetarian so replaced the chicken broth with veggie. I also zested the lemon before juicing and added to the onions. As always this is my go-to blog for dinner ideas. Thank you!
This soup was AMAZING! I halved the recipe and there was more than enough for two people, since we also had a side salad. The only changes I made were to add a little more garlic and, instead of chicken broth, I added chicken Better Than Bouillon (which, in my opinion, enhances everything I use it in). I also put a dollop of sour cream on the top after putting it in bowls. My husband went crazy over the soup.
I love that I was able to put this soup in the refrigerator after blending it, so I could cook it later and add the lemon and cheese after heating it up. So easy and convenient! Thank you!
What a delicious soup. We bought a huge bunch of asparagus on our way home from Eastern Washington. The soup is delicious and the lemon juice gives a nice taste
Really delicious soup that I am definitely making again! I think you need to reduce the soup a bit to have the asparagus tips stay suspended, but it didn’t affect the taste. I also enjoyed adding some mixed seeds on top as a garnish for some crunch. Beautiful recipe, thanks!
Super simple and delicious! I didn’t bother using the tips as a garnish since it was only for me.
I used my own chicken bone broth that already had lemon in it so I didn’t add more. Really flavorful and so healthy!
Only changes were olive oil instead of butter and no salt (low salt diet) and, since I hate to waste things, I zested the lemon and added it too. Halved the recipe (just 2 of us) and it was perfect. Just enough salt from the cheese and a nice, bright lemony tint. Even with the zest it was perfect. My wife says it’s the best she ever had. Can’t wait to make it again.
Simple and clean. Loved it!
Perfect Springtime recipe when asparagus is at its optimum. Rich tasting but without cream or milk. Had better luck with the blender then with immersion blender For complete smoothness. Good Parmesan cheese is essential. Family loved it. Thank you, Jenn.