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 couldn’t imagine how yummy this soup would be – to be honest the thought of asparagus soup wasn’t exciting, but as we have so much of it growing, I had to try it. It was DELICIOUS. Now we have plans for the asparagus springing up everywhere, thank you!
This soup is fabulous! I’m so happy it is low fat and healthy. I am saving the recipe as one of my favorites.
Thanks!
I accidentally over steamed some asparagus last night so it was pretty mushy and I thought using it for a soup recipe would salvage it. This recipe is SO GOOD. I did not simmer for 30 minutes because my asparagus was already cooked. I pureed everything in a blender and turned out beautifully! Gave some to my husband to taste test and he said “Why are we even making pizza this soup is good enough for dinner by itself!” High praise from someone who’s favorite food is pizza. Thank you for a great recipe.
Hi Jen – I really want to make this soup this afternoon but I don’t have fresh asparagus. Can I use canned?
Technically it should work, but I definitely think it’s best with fresh. If you use canned, I’d cut back on the added salt.
Made this and LOVED it. Added shredded rotisserie chicken after puree and it was absolutely delicious. Your recipes never disappoint love it!
So I have not been graced with Jenn’s recipes until today. I had a bag of asparagus that I didn’t want to simply grill. So I searched for asparagus soup (but I cannot have heavy cream/milk). And low and behold my eyes light up as I read in the high level description on Google search results… “… without heavy cream” all next to 5 stars. My curiousity was peaked. My taste buds salivated. I’m WFH today so of course my attention diverted to immediately making this soup irrespective that it is 87 degrees out. I’m sorry – the only thing I did was add a few tiny potatoes (the only deviation) because I only had 12oz of asparagus. Per guidance, I added fresh basil on the top at the end. Wowsers! I can’t wait to try out more recipes, which I’m already looking through. Thank you for coming into my life Jenn.
Made this tonight as a starter. Delicious!
OMG – this is *seriously* good soup! And so simple! I read the other comments raving about it, but nothing like tasting for yourself! Thanks!
Very tasty.
Just made this. Halved the recipe because that’s all the asparagus I had. Only change was I added a little crushed red pepper. This is fantastic. Great balance of flavors. It’s summer so we are going to let it cool down and see how it is as a chilled soup (or at least a bit hot soup!)