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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I had my doubts that an asparagus soup without cream would work, but holy moly! This is my new go to! The lemon gives it such a nice pop. Fantastic recipe! One little thing that I do that I learned from a chef who focused on food waste was that you can take the woody ends that you normally snap off and discard from the asparagus, slice them thinly and sauté them in butter until they are soft, then you can add them in with the rest of the asparagus.
We have a huge asparagus patch in our garden and I needed to find a new way to use up some of the delicious, fresh asparagus. I freeze a lot of asparagus, but we also eat it as much as possible this time of year. This soup fit the bill perfectly! I sautéed my onions before putting in my super fine garlic at the end, so the garlic wouldn’t scorch while the onion became translucent. The recipe was simple and easy to follow. I did end up putting in about 1/2 C whole milk (didn’t have any cream) and because my lemon was giant, I added 1 t. sugar at the end to balance the abundant acid. I used both 1 t. dried parsley and 1/2 t. dried dill because I didn’t have any fresh herbs. I will definitely be making this again! Great recipe! Kudos, Jenn!
This is a recipe I use each year when it is asparagus season. It is so balanced. Friends that don’t like asparagus change their mind when trying this recipe.
Just a great all around recipe. And especially appreciate the tips on freezing.
Also, have many of your other recipes that we use repeatedly like the spiced nuts, chocolate biscotti, kale walnut pesto with pasta, and roast beef. My friend has your book (I loaned her) handy on her kitchen counter as she learns to cook.
Many thanks!
This is thee BEST Asparagus Soup recipe out there! So healthy and delicious!! I always have some in my freezer for a quick lunch…and even breakfast sometimes! Thanks for all your fantastic recipes!
I picked a large bunch of fresh asparagus and wanted to make a soup worthy of its freshness. I normally use cream in my soups but this recipe intrigued me the best asparagus soup I’ve ever made. I had to make a second batch because everyone wanted more. The hint of lemon and parmesan married so well. Thank you.
Just made this delicious soup.. I did add a couple of cubes Yukon Gold potatoes to help thicken.. oh I can’t wait till my husband gets home so we can eat.. thank you.. I can’t eat anything that is stringy and I absolutely love Asparagus.. this is perfect.. I’ll be making lots more for the freezer
This is a delicious soup easy to make the only criticism I would make is that you should use the smaller sticks of asparagus as mine was too old giving the soup a lot of fibrous bits.
I used a peeler for the lower part of large stalks and had no fibre.
I sieve the soup to remove the fibrous bits. It’s silky smooth every time!
This soup is delicious, easy and so healthy. I added some Italian spices and a few chilli flakes for a little heat and it was fab. Definately a repeat
I made this soup it was delicious going to make it again and again everybody loved it
I’ve been making this for several years & it is my go to asparagus soup!! We love it! Serving to my Bunko Babes soon…
This is the very best asparagus soup!!! I figured without cream it wouldn’t be good but I was so wrong! Will be making this over and over! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Very nice. I usually follow the recipe as given the first time I try a new recipe, but this time I substituted vegetable stock for the chicken broth (my eldest son, who is a vegetarian, is visiting) and went a little heavier on the Parmesan, salt, and pepper to compensate. Both my son and my youngest daughter, who loves asparagus and Parmesan, kept saying how good it was. Well done Ms. Segal.