Perfect Asparagus Soup
- PREP 15min
- COOK 1hrs
- TOTAL 1hrs 15min
This simple asparagus soup is delicious, vegetarian, and minimizes waste. Instead of using stock to make the soup, we make a quick asparagus broth using the asparagus and leek trimmings. The broth is delicate and fragrant and is the perfect way to make use of trimmings instead of throwing them away.
You Will Need
2 pounds asparagus
1 large leek
1 medium carrot
2 garlic cloves, gently smashed
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced, about 1 pound
3 cups baby spinach
Half of a lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone for garnish, optional
Directions
Make Asparagus Broth
Trim the dry, woody bottoms of the asparagus. To find where to trim, bend the stalks until they naturally snap. Cut or snap at that point. Save the tops for the soup and add the stems to a large pot.
Cut the dark green tops from the leek and rinse them well to remove any grit. Add these to the pot with the asparagus stems. Rinse the leek’s lighter green and white parts and set them aside.
Add the carrot, smashed garlic clove, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the pot.
Cover with 9 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt, adding a little at a time until you can taste the broth’s flavors without it being overly salty. Strain the broth and reserve the garlic cloves.
Make Asparagus Soup
Thinly slice the reserved white and light green parts of the leek.
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the sliced leeks and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the reserved garlic cloves and cook for one more minute. Add the potatoes and 6 cups of the asparagus broth (save the rest for thinning later). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the tips from 12 asparagus spears measuring about 1 ½ inches from the top. Set these aside for garnish. Roughly chop the remaining asparagus.
Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the chopped asparagus (not the reserved tips) and simmer until tender-crisp and bright green.
Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted but still bright green, about 1 minute. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender (or a regular blender in batches).
Taste 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.
Just before serving, cook the reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until tender-crisp and bright green (about 3 minutes). Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips and cheese (optional). Serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing over the top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: The soup’s bright green color may dull slightly over time, but you can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Blending the soup: I use an immersion blender. If you use a stand blender, remember to blend in batches. If your soup is hot while blending, you want to remove the lid’s center insert and cover it with a kitchen towel while blending, helping some of the steam release and preventing the lid from popping off (which can be a big, hot mess).
- Leftover broth: Use it in other soups to cook rice or grains or make risotto.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did include 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese in the calculations for each serving (there are 6 servings total). We omitted salt from the calculations since you must add to your tastes.