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
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 soup was delicious! Highly recommend. It’s such a pleasant tasting soup that you want to go back to again and again. Like nothing I have ever made before.
Oh, I’m so glad to see that this recipe is still active. Everyone could enjoy this. I recently added 2 kale leaves fresh from the garden here in the Finger Lakes, and with just those two — Wow! — there was even more added flavor. Thanks again for this recipe. It is one of my “basics.”
Even when made with asparagus “stumps” (as I call them ⎯ I’m sure you’ll all know what I mean), this is delicious soup!
And my latest variation also got rave reviews: made with left-over grilled asparagus from our BBQ party celebrating my niece’s graduation cum laude from law school.
➾ (I’m a proud & doting uncle, as you may have guessed!)
Tried your grilled asparagus variation – what a fantastic twist on a great original recipe! THANKS!
Made this soup at my sisters in Virginia last week!!! OMGgone in an instant !!!
Can I use leeks instead of onions?
Need more of your recipes as I live in farm and fishing country on the east end of Long Island come visit!!! Your welcome anytime!!! Please do come you’d have an increadabletime!,!!
Hi Mary, So glad you enjoyed it! Leeks will definitely work.
great soup !!!!
This soup is wonderful. Don’t think you can go wrong no matter what. I added a small jar of frozen tomatoe from my garden and half a can of leftover coconut milk along with a sprinkling of pepper flakes and it was wonderful. Tip for asparagus, peel or if they are thick enough run a knife down the side of the woody ends. They are good to eat then without the toughness
Loved it! Roasted the asparagus prior to puréeing them.
Good base recipe. If you’re from the South, like me- I’m Cajun- and like a lot of flavor, you might want to double or triple a few of the ingredients and add a kick! Specifically: double garlic, triple the lemon juice, I did probably 3/4 cup parmagiano, added a douse of heavy whipping cream, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes for a kick. After all, it turned out delicious! Yummy. Also, I didn’t need to strain it after putting it through a ninja chop.
This is really delicious! I strained a couple ladle-fulls, and realized I didn’t really need to do it because I like the thicker consistency and there were not strong fibers. I used an emulsion blender. For serving, I topped with crunchy, garlic parmesan bagel chips (they make them gluten free).
Asparagus soup has been one of my favorites to eat and make. This is the best ever and now my favorite. The lemon adds such a perfect touch, and of course Parmigianino, well do I need to say more?