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.
Just made this soup and added baby Bella mushrooms that I needed to use up. Really delicious soup . Can’t wait to eat it with some garlic bread later.
No… just no. Uncharacteristically, I made this pretty much exactly according to the recipe. My husband and I both agreed it wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t right. My husband said, “the soup doesn’t know what it wants to be.” The lemon juice was all wrong, especially with the parmesan. Maybe less lemon juice? I will not make this recipe again.
I followed this recipe exactly as written, topped it with a little fresh thyme, the asparagus tips and grated Parmesan, and it was fantastic. It was very easy to prepare, and perfect for a Sunday evening supper.
Not only was the recipe super easy but was also the best asparagus soup I’ve ever had! We ate ours both hot and cold & it was delicious both ways!
Awesome recipe! I leave out the salt and use low-salt or unsalted broth, and the soup still tastes great — the salt in the Parmesan cheese is all it really needs. Dried dill weed has been a good substitute for the fresh herbs.
I trim the ends by bending the lower portion of each stalk until it breaks — so no tough fibers go into the soup. Time permitting, I drop the tough ends into the broth pot.
Thank you, Jenn!
Decided to try this out. Did a half batch and it was delicious. Small issue with too many asparagus ‘hairs’.
Immediately went out and bought the ingredients for a full batch. Ran it through my vitamix 2 times intensely.
This is seriously the best soup I’ve ever tasted. Only modifications were to use 1/3 low-fat milk & 2/3 broth. Also added lots of red pepper flakes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Easy to make. Healthy and absolutely delicious.
This soup is simply fantastic! I have sent it to everyone who tried it & loved it. So easy to make! My only alterations (because of diet) I did was I added 1 cup of defrosted peas to the soup before I pureed it and garnished it with crispy mushrooms. Love your recipes!
I really enjoyed this soup, creamy without cream, it was very easy to make. The rest of my family thought it was just ok. I will make again if I have an abundance of asparagus
I loved the flavor but the strings on the asparagus were terrible. I had to finally strain the soup through a fine strainer to make it edible. Even the hand immersion got stuck with the strings. Should I have peeled the asparagus first? Susan.
Hi Susan, I’m sorry you had such a problem with the asparagus! No, you shouldn’t need to peel them, but did you trim the bottoms?
This soup is simple to make and is absolutely delicious. Truly, it is! My singular comment would be to put in half of the lemon to begin, then increase as it suits your palate. So very good with a crusty bread.
Great recipe, Jenn, I’m making it again tonight.