This smooth and flavorful seasonal soup is finished in the blender. It has few ingredients, and some are easily substituted, so you can probably make it now if you have fresh green asparagus in your fridge. It keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.
Eat it hot or cold
I think of asparagus as seasonal finger food: when the stalks are tender, I roast them lightly and eat them whole, no trimming needed. They also work beautifully in simple dishes like this one, where the vegetable is the star.
Soups may be cooked, but they can still celebrate fresh produce, especially when served cold. Think gazpacho, vibrant okroshka, or this asparagus soup; each depends on ripe ingredients at their peak for bold, vibrant flavor. As Alain Ducasse said, the best peach tart starts with the best peaches; here, this gorgeous summer soup begins with the best asparagus.
And like asparagus pasta, this recipe also adapts well to late-season spears that may be too tough for raw salads, served with crusty bread or topped with croutons.
How to choose green asparagus
- Color and appearance: Look for vibrant green stalks with tightly closed, firm tips. Some spears might have a purple tinge, which is fine, but avoid those with yellowing or browning.
- Firmness: The stalks should be firm and straight. Gently bend the asparagus; it should snap easily without being limp.
- Size: While size can be a matter of preference, thicker stalks tend to be more tender and flavorful. Thinner stalks can be more fibrous and tough.
- Moisture: check the ends of the asparagus. Fresh asparagus should be moist and not dried out. The ends shouldn't be too woody or desiccated.
- Smell: Fresh asparagus have a mild, pleasant scent.
Peeled or unpeeled asparagus?
That depends on how in season and good the skin is.
- Peeling asparagus is a tad laborious and an extra step, and for me, it depends a lot on the bright green (or not) color the vegetables have by themselves.
- Unpeeled asparagus: In the end, you can strain the soup after it's blended to discard any hard parts that might've remained.
Bright color
The way to keep that beautiful color is to immerse the peeled asparagus in a bowl of ice water while you prep and cook the rest of the ingredients.
This step can be avoided if you have everything ready and peel them at the last moment.
Steps to make asparagus soup
Flavor base
The asparagus pieces are cooked with onions, leeks, shallots and garlic. Talk about a flavor powerhouse!
Let them soften, but be careful not to burn them as they will turn bitter.
Blend and strain
The last step is blending or processing the soup to make it creamy and smooth. I use an immersion blender and blend it directly in the pot. If using a blender, be careful as very hot mixtures might crack the jar.
After that, strain the mixture through a sieve to discard pieces that have not dissolved and achieve a smoother texture.
Creamy finish
Use a splash of cream to serve. Keep in mind that drizzling it over very hot soup will make the cream separate a little and the drizzle not be as sharp. Still tasty though.
Serving
A dollop of whipped cream (no sugar), sour cream, or crème fraiche is the way to go together with a few roasted asparagus tips, which should be added at the last moment as they tend to sink pretty quickly.
This green soup can be served either warm or at room temperature.
A bonus is that this recipe is good with average, out-of-season produce; with very good, tender asparagus spears, it's fantastic.
Croutons: they make great soup toppers, adding crunch to a creamy soup. I toast bread cubes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium-low oven (300°F/150°C), so they dry out and become wonderfully crunchy.
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Fresh Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds fresh green asparagus
- 5 to 6 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup chopped leeks
- ⅓ cup onion, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- extra fresh asparagus tips, for garnish
Instructions
- Bend 2 ½ pounds fresh green asparagus stalks until they snap. Keep the parts with the tips. Discard the rest (woody ends).
- Have 5 to 6 cups vegetable broth simmering slowly in a medium pot.
- In a large pot over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter until they meld, and add ½ cup chopped leeks, ⅓ cup onion, 1 shallot and 1 garlic clove.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and cook until they soften but not letting them brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the asparagus pieces, stir, and add 4 cups of the broth.
- Let it simmer and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and let it cook for 5 more minutes or until the asparagus are soft. Check for seasonings and adjust.
- Remove from the heat and blend in the pot using the immersion blender. If using a regular blender, work in batches. Be careful, as some blender jars do not admit very hot mixtures. If that is the case for you, you'll have to wait until the mixture has cooled down. I cracked a glass blender jar once with hot soup.
- Check again for seasonings and adjust and add more broth until you have the consistency you like.
- Serve with some unsweetened whipped cream or a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.
Notes
This asparagus soup is a recipe adapted from cookbook author and baker extraordinaire Dorie Greenspan.
Lizzie @ Strayed from the Table says
mmm asparagus soup, looks so beautiful and the flavour must be so fresh. I can't wait to grow my own, but I heard it takes two years before you can start picking your first crop.
Patty Price says
I don't think asparagus soup has ever looked so good ....
mividaenundulce says
Soup comes perfect during this season, yes, autumn is here, and this is just perfect for a hot soup, specially if it's a cream.
Ok, maybe it's not the perfect time for asparagus, but eating roasted or in soup is better than in a salad.
acookingmizer says
but what better to do with aspargus thats out of season but to make soup?? 🙂 you did great! and mine didnt look too fantastic either so dont worry! 🙂
dulceshome.com says
I'm with you - great asparagus deserves something better than soup - my go to is grilled. But any way is fine with me. Soup is a pretty good alternative when that's not the case. I think mine turned out more green because I skipped the step of pre-cooking the "good" part of the asparagus. Served mine with corn muffins - turned out to be a pretty tasty meal.
As always, your photos are gorgeous!
Cocoa and Lavender says
That does sounds bit laborious! Paula, check out my mother's asparagus soup in her cookbook - much simpler and it works well for out of season spears! No peeling necessary! 🙂 Oh, and I am glad someone asked about those beautiful crackers... They look perfect to go with soups! ~ David
Mary Hirsch says
You even peeled your out-of-season/winter asparagus?You are a marvel, Paula. Although I don't think your asparagus looks all that bad. Here we go again. As we head into the fresh fruits and vegetables season you are enjoying a lovely autumn/fall. Again, those of you who are living on the other side of the equator are good sports. Hopefully when I get my List of What We Haven't Cooked Yet completed, we can come up with a switcheroo and pick a FFWD recipe that favors the Doristas in the Southern Hemisphere. Then those of us up north can scramble to find fresh ingredients. Turn about is fair play. Really, your soup looks pretty and tasty. I also noticed the Sailor's Crackers. They look perfect with your soup.
Mardi Michels says
Your pictures in this post are so gorgeous Paula! I didn't do all the difficult bits in this soup and it turned out just as well 🙂
laurasmess.me says
This looks delicious Paula, even though it sounds like it was laborious to make!! I get frustrated when a particular recipe calls for out-of-season vegetables. Frozen and imported produce just isn't the same! Great job with the food prep though. You've made the soup look beautiful x
Laura Dembowski says
I'm loving soup lately and the asparagus is perfect here right now. I can't wait to make this Paula!
yummychunklet says
Your soup does look delicious, and I love the bright color as well!
Betsy says
I wish I'd thought to save some tips to garnish the soup. I do have to admit that I didn't have the patience to peel all those spears so I ended up skipping that step. I thought this soup was a good one, just the right texture. Sometimes I think Dorie's soups are way too think. Sorry you had to eat this one out of season, Paula.
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Fall asparagus or not, that soup looks so delicious! Asparagus is at it's peak here, I can't wait to try this!
Nana says
Beautiful presentation as usual. This is definitely a recipe that I will do again, we all loved it. Have
a happy weekend.