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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So…..if someone else made this soup for me I would swear it had cream in it. This soup is a keeper! Easy, healthy and SO good! I used the immersion blender and it was super creamy! Thank you for this healthy recipe!
This recipe is soooo good and very easy. I’ve made it three times already and am about to start number four.
This is the best asparagus soup I’ve ever had . If you doubt me, believe my son with autism who won’t eat any veggies. Even knowing it contained a vegetable, he gave it a 9/10. It made my taste buds AND my heart happy. I did have to substitute asiago as I was out of parmesan.
This is a lovely soup – easy to make and delicious. The little tip about using the spears for garnish was appreciated. I always fall down when it comes to the final step – presentation – and this didn’t require extreme dexterity with a sharp knife and a huge amount of time – so I was able to do the task. Thanks. Another great keeper recipe for my files..
This is the second time I’m making this soup and it’s fantastic! Last time, my fiance and I ate the whole pot on the first night.
Thanks so much for this delicious, easy recipe. I scaled it down for 1 bunch of asparagus since I am the only one eating it. I will be making the FULL recipe the next time. I didnt have any fresh grated parm on hand, but I am never without the rinds from the cheese pieces in my freezer. I threw that in at the beginning and just blitzed it in at the end. Scrumptious!! Thanks again!
Jenn,
We cannot get enough of this delicious soup! Asparagus has been so good, plentiful and inexpensive this spring….I have been preparing your recipe over and over. No cream means
we can eat as much and as often as we desire…which is frequently.
The only addition I make is a pinch of nutmeg, just because we like it, not because the recipe needs it.
Thank you for all of your great recipes!
I’d love to try this soup, as everything I’ve EVER made from OnceUponAChef has been a hit. (I tell everyone I know about this site!) Only thing is I’m now a vegan (13 months and counting)…are suggestions on a substitution for the parmesan? I noticed you have a zucchini soup recipe that uses walnuts to thicken the soup. Would that be a good workaround? Thanks for any advice you can give!
So glad you like the recipes, CC! It’s fine to omit the cheese here – you’ll still really enjoy it!
I just made this soup tonight as I had lovely spring asparagus. I only had about a pound with 2 bunches, so I added the balance in broccoli. I used salted butter to soften the onions with the garlic but I had no salt chicken stock, so I added Kosher salt to taste along with some ground corriander. I took the advice of 2 comments and added a little extra lemon juice and some fresh dill which totally put this over the top for me! It’s a 10 in my book! Thanks for another great soup recipe Jenn! I will definitely be making more of this and your other pea soup recipe as more asparagus and sweet spring peas come in.
I have made this soup numerous times and it is so perfectly balanced and flavourful. One of my all time favourite soups.