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.
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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.
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
- 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 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.
- 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
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- 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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This asparagus soup is my new favorite food. I left the parmesan out initially (dairy intolerances for some family members) and forgot to add it in later, and it is delicious without the cheese too. I can’t recommend this recipe enough — even cold! Plus it is SO EASY to make! Definitely a keeper and guest-worthy. Btw, I had no trouble blending with a hand blender and no issue with ‘strings’.
Just finished making this as asparagus just showed up here (France) in the farmers market and the soup is fantastic. Will definitely make it again!!
The soup was wonderful! Since I’m trying to eat fewer animal products, I sautéed the garlic and onions in some of the vegetable broth that I substituted for chicken broth. I didn’t add the cheese but added two Yukon gold potatoes that were past prime. The lemon juice was a nice touch. Would love to see more vegan-type recipes, or exchanges to make them vegan.
great delicious soup. used asiago, always have it on hand, rather than parm.
Hi Jenn, to the asparagus soup can I add carrot and celery and parsley as well as onion
Sure, Anne, that would work. Depending upon how much you add, you may need to increase the other ingredients (butter, broth, salt/pepper, lemon juice, and cheese) a bit. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with these additions!
I tried it both ways: with parmesan and lemon ,and without. Both are very good but I preferred it without these2 additions. It was still very creamy and absolutely delicious! Thanks for that scrumptious recipe
Hi Jenn, the soup is great but the strings of asparagus make eating it a bit difficult. It is a matter of cooking them more before blending or are there any other tricks to avoid this?
Hi Olga, Removing the woody ends of the asparagus helps a lot. And you also need to use a powerful blender. After that, if the soup is still stringy, it should be strained through a fine sieve.
My sister Julie introduced me to this lovely soup. Made a half recipe for lunch today for my husband and me, exactly as recommended. We both loved it but Jim licked the pan! It’s perfect. Thanks!
I enjoyed this soup very much–and shared it with neighbours!
A few notes:
1. Trimmed woody ends of asparagus.
2. Added sprigs of thyme to the broth–half a dozen sprigs secured with twine for easy retrieval/removal.
3. Also added 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes (chopped into small pieces) to the broth to provide a little more “heft” or “body” to the soup.
4. My immersion blender brought it all together into a creamy pot of goodness. No straining necessary; texture was perfect.
Thank you Jenn.
Easy and tasty. Definitely needs the herbs for a little extra.