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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This soup was so delicious. I can’t believe it has no cream in it because it certainly tasted like it did ! I didn’t add the cheese or lemon (because I didn’t have any). I added fresh rosemary and basil. I can’t wait to make it again and again !
How does this hold up if made a day ahead?
It will store nicely in the fridge. I would add the cheese when you reheat the soup.
I made this lovely soup tonight. I had roasted asparagus the night before for dinner and knew I would have leftovers. I also saved the woody stems because I knew I would make soup. I did a Google search and chose this recipe because it didn’t include cream.
I did have home made chicken stock. I usually have that in the freezer. I also used my ninja blender and there was no need to strain.
We actually served it with chicken -apple sausages. It made a delicious light, yet satisfying, supper after the indulgences of the holidays.
Thanks for this easy delicious recipe.
This was delicious I had to share it with my own readers
http://reallifeofanmsw.com/2015/12/15/asparagus-meet-soup/
Thanks for sharing the recipe with your readers– so glad you enjoyed it!
Simply and absolutely amazing!!!
Made this for lunch today – delicious! Had to strain the woody ends despite blending. Roasted the tips per another reviewer. Don’t skip the parm cheese or you’ll miss out on a lot of flavor!
I’ve never reviewed anything in my life but this simple recipe is so divine! Tastes like Spring time in a fine Parisian bistro. Love it. No need for herbs as the delicate asparagus flavor shines through accented with the lemon & parmesan. I could live on this and would be healthier for doing so! Thank you!
What a great bunch of reviews ! Iwas looking for a new recipe to make a lighter asparagus soup for round one of first thanksgivings (no. Two on Saturday). Got to say I a, making this now and really can wait. Started searching because while I had asparagus I didn’t plan and no leeks or shallots only onions. Which I think I have used before but who knows all of these great reviews give me confidence that this will be a hit. Nice to see people reviewing something they have actually made. I will have this done and ready for thanksgiving. Might just have to have a bowl or two first.
Wow, I can’t spell. I made this for thanksgiving but held it back. I froze the soup prior to adding lemon juice or parmesan cheese. Just thawed it out and finished the soup this week. It really is a great recipe. Adding the woody parts to the broth and staining before cooking only the most tender parts really made a difference passing this through the sieve and chinois. Never again will I do it the old way.
This easy to make soup was adored by all. Though it was not the creamy consistancy shown in the picture, the taste was fabulous. Originally I strained 1/2 inch asparagus fibers from the soup but my guests urged me to put them back into the mix and so we all enjoyed the textured and rich asparagus and Parmesan flavors, each of us wishing for more. Simply delicious. Thank you~ Chris
This soup is quite delicious and amazing. The lemon and parmesan cheese add a level of texture to the soup that brings it from delicious to off the charts.
I would not recommend using the asparagus stumps (the tough ends) as those tend not to blend well and will leave you with chewy asparagus that you don’t want.
Hoping to see more fabulous soup recipes here!
Great recipe! I added lemon rind while serving and it made it even better. Would definitely make this again