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.

Bowl of asparagus soup with lemon and parmesan.

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

Soup ingredients including chicken broth, lemon, and onion.

How To Make Asparagus Soup

Begin by melting the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic.

Wooden spoon stirring onions in a Dutch oven.

Cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.

Dutch oven of cooked onions.

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.

Knife on a cutting board with asparagus tips.

Add the chopped asparagus to the pot, along with the chicken broth, salt, and pepper.

Chopped asparagus floating in a Dutch oven of chicken broth.

Bring to a boil.

Chicken broth boiling in a Dutch oven.

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Dutch oven of simmering soup.

Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches in a blender.

Immersion blender in a Dutch oven of soup.

 

Return the soup to the pot and stir in the fresh lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese.

Grated parmesan in a Dutch oven of soup.

Finally, cook the asparagus tips in salted boiling water for a few minutes until tender-crisp.

Asparagus tips in a small pot of water.

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.

Asparagus tips in a bowl of ice and water.

Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the asparagus tips, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.

Bowl of asparagus soup with lemon and parmesan.

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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.

Servings: 4-6

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with asparagus tips, Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
  7. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • Incredible soup. I did caramelize the onions with 1/2 tsp sugar, added a tiny pinch of thyme and 10 baby potatoes to the simmering asparagus. Only simmered for 7 min – didn’t want to completely obliterate the veg and their nutrients before pureeing them. The lemon and parm added a fabulous zingy dimension. I was going to add a few bloops of cream at the end but that would’ve completely ruined it – was perfect as is.
    Thanks.

  • I used 4 cups chicken broth instead of 6 and added 2 tsp better than bouillon (chicken flavor). Very good!

  • Hi Jenn. My husband is the one with the onion family allergy, so I made the soup as you suggested using chopped carrot, celery, and fennel in place of the onion. It was delicious! We even ate the leftovers chilled and it was also good that way. Thank you so much for your help! Bev

    • Where does Jenn give amounts of the carrots/celery/fennel to add to substitute for the onions? I’d like to modify this without the onions as well. Can anyone help clarify?

  • We loved this soup. However, when I puréed the soup in a blender (powerful Kitchenaid blender), there were more fibers remaining than I would have liked to have had. Should I have peeled the stalks first before cooking, processed the soup through a food mill first, etc.? I like soup with some thickness, but would like to be able to eliminate the bits of fiber. I have an immersion blender, but don’t think it would have been better at breaking up the fibers.

    • Hi Brenda, So glad you enjoyed it. Asparagus is very fibrous, which is why it’s really important to strain it. Unless you have a powerful blender, like a vitamix, straining is the only way to eliminate the bits of fiber.

      • Wow, I would have thought my Kitchenaid blender would have been sufficient. Thanks for the reply.

  • Does it freeze successfully?

    • Yes- just wait to add the cheese when reheating. Enjoy!

      • can you do this soup with frozen asparagus?

        • Sure, Julie, you can get away with using frozen here. Hope you enjoy!

  • Such a great spring soup! I only strained half of it because I like my soups a little heartier, and I added lemon zest. Thank you for this recipe!

  • We grow asparagus and believe me it grows very quickly and has to be picked daily. So this to perfect for us because it requires a lot of asparagus! So easy to make and simply delicious. We love it!

  • First, your recipes are always my go to, thank you! What herbs do you recommend adding?

    • So glad you like the recipes, Nicole! I’d recommend dill, thyme, or basil here. Hope you enjoy. 🙂

      • I went with thyme 🙂 I keep wanting a little more depth of flavor. Do you think a little bacon grease would add a little smokiness? Just a thought. Do you have a crouton recipe? I would love to throw some on top. Thanks again! I have the Thai curry chicken marinating as we speak.

        • Hi Nicole, I think you could add a touch of bacon fat here (or a pinch of smoked paprika). And I do have a crouton recipe. You can find it here.

          • Felt like it was a little bland. I added the pinch of smoked paprika that you suggested and that worked perfectly. Amazing recipe. Thank you!

            • — Eileen
      • I found your recipe when I googled healthy asparagus soup and that it is but oh so tasty as well! Have made many times, freezes well, minus the cheese and lemon.
        My adult daughter is picky and she loves it.
        She requested this months ago, when we talked about what she would like me to make for her after giving birth. Well the time has come, they are on the way to hospital now! And I’m about to make it. Oh and her 2 and a half y/o son loves it too. I am doubly blessed as asparagus are now in season lol 👍
        Thank you Jenn!!

  • I am about to make this again – it’s my favorite spring soup recipe – and I’m struck by the reviewers who seem to want it thicker. We love it specifically because it is not thick and starchy. I like to serve it in little demitasse or tea cups for a first course, which is quite elegant without being too filling, or in a mug for a supper serving. The parmesan makes it rich without adding thickener.

  • Soup was pretty good for being on the thin side. I liked the sour cream versus the cream. Not sure why you have problems breaking up fibers with immersion blender. Maybe mine is more powerful as it pureed the soup pretty good. Would hate to take out the fiber. Fiber is good for us!!

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