Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You may also like
- Green Pea & Asparagus Soup with Feta, Mint & Pita Croutons
- Creamy Zucchini, Walnut, and Dill Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheddar
- Spring Pea and Basil Soup
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
OMG… LOVE this soup soooooooo mich and it is totally guilt free!!!
This was really great! I cut the recipe in half and my husband and I ate the whole pan. You really don’t need cream or half and half to make a great soup. I added a dollop of sour cream in the bowls when I served it.
Oh my, this is delicious! Used the recipe as a guide to wing it with what I had on hand – asparagus, onion, garlic. No parmesan. Potato flakes worked to thicken it a bit (and kept the recipe completely dairy-free). Lemon juice brightened it perfectly.
Can hardly wait to make a large batch as written. Maybe there will be leftovers, if I can stop from eating it all at once!
We loved the asparagus soup and it’s inspired us to try more vegetable based soups to improve our diet. We didn’t miss the heavy cream at all .
Hi Jenn! I really love this soup, and have made it many times; thanks so much for (another) great recipe. I’m presently out of onions, but do have leeks. Do you think those would work as a good replacement?
So glad you like it! Yes, leeks will work here – enjoy! 🙂
Is it supposed to have significant sour taste because of the lemon? I followed the recipe and not sure if it’s too sour
Hi Bernadette, it really shouldn’t taste sour — the lemon is just there to add a little brightness. Did you make any changes to the recipe? If not, maybe you’re just a bit more sensitive to the lemon flavor so if you make it again, I’d cut the lemon juice in half.
Hi there. Do you have a suggestion/technique for making this soup (or another) using the discarded woody asparagus ends? I have a few ziplock bags of them in the freezer because I hate to see them go to waste.
Thank you for your time on this question. 🙂
Hi Jennifer, I’ve never held onto those pieces, but I think you could use along with other veggie remnants to make vegetable stock. 🙂
I am reluctant to offer an addendum, but this may be my one contribution to cooking. I have my nerve, especially as I use your ranch dressing weekly.
I don’t like the color of cooked asparagus, so I add fresh green beans or leftovers, chopped, to the pot in time to be cooked but still green at blending time. It’s a beautiful green, more like the tips, and there is no detraction from the flavor.
Just a thought.
O
An excellent recipe – we all loved it. Definitely a keeper!
Can you serve this chilled?
Sure!
I love love this soup .
I bought a big bag of Asparagus from Sams Club and my kids got tired of it, so as not to waste the rest I googled what to do with asparagus and came across this recipe . It was delicious.
I did not have chicken broth at home so I substituted it with chicken bullion and added water . I also added a little cayenne pepper to give it a little kick but it was nice without the pepper too.
Thank you so much for this amazing and healthy recipe.
This soup is incredible!! It’s so creamy and rich it’s hard to believe it’s just chicken stock, asparagus and vegetables with a tiny amount of cheese. Wonderful!
I have made this soup 3 times in 3 weeks…it is truly amazing.