Creamy Asparagus Soup

A simple soup that has a bright flavor of fresh asparagus and mild onion taste from the leeks with a hint of creaminess

It’s finally Spring time here in Upstate New York

There’s no better feeling than making it through a cold, snowy Winter and seeing the little green shoots of our hosta plants peeking out of the cold ground and white hyacinths making their debut

It’s also the time of year that some of my favorite veggies come into season

Artichokes, baby potatoes, leeks, spinach, and last but certainly not least, asparagus

There are many ways we enjoy asparagus in this Simply Sunday’s household, but one family favorite is Creamy Asparagus Soup

It’s a simple soup that has the bright & clean flavor of fresh asparagus and mild onion flavor from the leeks with a hint of creaminess

I have about a pound of asparagus, one large leek, a garlic clove and one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil

Now you can certainly bend each asparagus stalk at its bottom to see where the woody end breaks off

Or, you can cut to the chase (see what I did there??) and cut off the bottom inch or two to remove the woody part of the stalk

You’ll also need to trim off the heads of the stalk and reserve for the soup’s garnish

Cut the rest of the stalks into 1 inch pieces

Cut the top green part of the leek off and either add to your compost pile or freeze to make into a broth at a later time

Slice the root end off and cut the remaining light green/yellow piece in half lengthwise

Leeks tend to have soil in between the layers, so if it looks a little dirty, rinse well and thinly slice

Smash the garlic clove and add to a pot along with the butter and olive oil and heat to medium

Once the butter melts, cook the garlic clove for about 5 minutes until fragrant.  Remove the smashed garlic and reserve

Add the sliced leeks to the pot and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until softened

Add in the asparagus and saute for 3 to 4 minutes

Add in 6 cups of chicken stock (or veggie broth if you’d like to keep it vegetarian)

Simmer for 10 minutes over medium high heat or until the asparagus is tender

While the soup is simmering, let’s saute the reserved asparagus tips and smashed garlic

Melt a teaspoon of butter with a teaspoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium low heat.  Add in the garlic and asparagus tips.  Saute for about 5 minutes until the tips are tender

Let’s wrap this up… I’m getting hungry

Immersion blend the soup until smooth, season to taste with kosher salt and add in about 1/3 of a cup of heavy cream

Some recipes use more cream, but I find that once the soup is blended, only a bit of cream is needed to make it creamy and delicious

I’d rather save those few extra calories for some cheese later on or a glass of wine.  But that may be just me (doubt it)

Garnish with the sauteed asparagus tops and serve

Enjoy!

Tools used to make this recipe

Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop

Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup

Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

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