My asparagus soup is incredibly smooth and creamy, yet made without a drop of cream. Instead, we combine asparagus, potatoes, and a simple and flavorful homemade broth. It’s healthy, satisfying, and naturally vegetarian!
This asparagus soup recipe screams Spring and is one of my favorite asparagus recipes! It’s light on calories but has a very sweet, light, fresh taste. Although I love rich, cream-based soups, sometimes I crave something lighter. This is where this recipe shines. By using potatoes instead of cream, we achieve that same silky texture without the extra calories. I use the same trick in our creamy vegetable soup and broccoli cheddar soup!
What’s even more impressive is that this soup is incredibly creative! We use the often discarded parts of asparagus and leeks (the tough ends and dark green tops) to create a flavorful broth that forms the base of the soup. It’s a great way to reduce waste and increase flavor! For more recipes with asparagus check out our garlic roasted asparagus or my favorite asparagus omelette.
Key Ingredients
- Asparagus: Look for bright green spears with tightly closed, jointed tips. The purple hint on the tips is a welcome sign, too! Avoid asparagus that appears dull, yellow, or has open flower tips. Give the stalks a little squeeze—they should feel firm and shrivel easily when bent. Hard or bent asparagus is past its prime.
- Leeks: Think of leeks as a sweet, mild onion. We will use the white and light green parts in the soup and the tough dark green tops in our asparagus broth. To clean the leeks, cut off the root end and the dark green tops. Then, cut the leek lengthwise and rinse well under running water to remove any resin between the layers. Check out my article on how to clean leeks for more tips!
- Carrot: A single carrot adds sweetness and color to our broth.
- Garlic: I use cloves of garlic both in the broth and in the soup itself.
- Potatoes: These are the secret to a super creamy, silky asparagus soup! We skip the cream altogether and use potatoes, like russet or Yukon Gold, to add body and a silky texture.
- Spinach: A few handfuls of baby spinach are great for adding a bright green color and a boost of nutrients to the soup. We add this to the end.
- Lemon: I like to serve asparagus soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top. It brightens everything and makes the flavors taste incredible.
- Cheese (If you like): We used parmesan in our photos, but a spoonful of ricotta or mascarpone cheese is wonderful.
How to Make Asparagus Soup
My asparagus soup is a simple two-part recipe. First, we will make our simple asparagus broth using parts of asparagus and leek that you usually throw in the trash. After that, we will use that simple broth to make our creamy soup.
The broth takes about 30 minutes and tastes light and fresh. It is made from leek tops, asparagus stalks, carrot, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. It’s easy!
The soup comes together quickly. Cook the white and light parts of the leek in a little oil until soft, then follow the garlic cloves used to make the broth, the potatoes and the asparagus. Then, finally, when everything is soft, add a few pieces of spinach. Blend until smooth and serve with a squeeze of lemon and cheese (optional, but delicious).
Perfect Asparagus Soup
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This easy asparagus soup is delicious, vegetarian, and less messy. Instead of using stock to make soup, we make a quick asparagus broth using asparagus and leek trimmings. The broth is soft and flavorful and is the perfect way to use up scraps instead of throwing them away.
6 Services
You will need it
2 kilos of asparagus
1 large leek
1 medium carrot
2 cloves garlic, finely crushed
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped, about 1 pound
3 cups baby spinach
Half a lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone for garnish, optional
Directions
- Make Asparagus Broth
1Cut off the dry, hard ends of the asparagus. To find out where to cut, bend the stalks until they naturally bend. Cut or trim at that time. Save the tops of the soup and add the stems to a large pot.
2Cut the dark green tops off the leeks and wash them well to remove any resin. Add these to the pot with the asparagus stalks. Clean the light green and white parts of the leek and set aside.
3Add the carrot, crushed garlic clove, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pot.
4Cover with 9 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt, adding a little at a time until you can taste the flavor of the broth without it being too salty. Strain the broth and reserve the garlic cloves.
- Make Asparagus Soup
1Thinly slice the reserved white and light green parts of the leek.
2Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
3Add the chopped leeks and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
4Add the reserved garlic cloves and cook for one minute. Add the potatoes and 6 cups of the asparagus broth (reserve the rest to reduce later). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes.
5Meanwhile, cut the tips of 12 asparagus spears about 1 ½ inches from the top. Set these aside for garnish. Press the remaining asparagus.
6When the potatoes are tender, jump in the chopped asparagus (not the saved tips) and hold until tender-green and green.
7Remove from heat and sauté spinach until wilted but still green, about 1 minute. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender (or a regular blender with batches).
8Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. If the soup is too thick, thin it with the reserved asparagus broth, 1/4 cup at a time.
9Just before serving, cook the reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until soft and bright green (about 3 minutes). Rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
10Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips and cheese (optional). Serve with a lemon wedge to squeeze over.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- To save: The bright green color of the soup may fade slightly over time, but you can store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To assemble the soup: I use an immersion blender. If using a stand blender, remember to blend in batches. If your soup is hot while blending, you want to remove the center of the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel while you blend, to help release the steam and prevent the lid from coming off (which would be a big, hot mess).
- Leftover broth: Use it in some soups to cook rice or grains or to make risotto.
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates. We added 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese to each serving (total of 6 servings). We left the salt out of the equation as you should add to your liking.
Food Per Serving
Calories
149
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Proteins
6g
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Carbohydrate
20g
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Dietary fiber
4g
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Sugar
3g
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Perfect Oils
6g
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Saturated Fats
2g
/
Cholesterol
3 mg
