Recipes > Cream of Asparagus Soup
- Serves: 4 to 6
- Active Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Views: 40,341
- Success Rating: 98% (?)
Steps
Step 1: Preparing Your Mise en Place
- 3/4 cup onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 cups asparagus
- 4 tbsp butter*
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups liquid**
Method
To prepare your mise en place, finely dice the onions and emince the garlic.
Snap the tough ends from the asparagus. Peel any thick stalks to remove the tough fibers. Cut into 1" -inch pieces. You may want to reserve about 10 asparagus tips to garnish the final soup with (optional).
Measure out the butter, flour and liquid. Set aside.
*Note: The fat can be either oil, butter or non-dairy butter.
**Note: The liquid can be vegetable stock, milk or even non-dairy milk.
Step 2: Making & Serving the Soup
- sea salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup cream (optional)*
Method
Note: If garnishing with asparagus tips, blanch them for approximately 1 to 2 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to an ice bath to cool. Drain and dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Set aside.
To make the soup, melt the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic along with a pinch of salt. Gently sweat until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Next, singer with the flour and stir to combine. Temper in the liquid, a bit at a time. Turn the heat up to medium and bring the soup to a simmer. Stir often to make sure the bottom does not scorch. Simmer for approximately 5 to 10 minutes to cook off any starchy flavor.
Add the asparagus along with a good pinch of salt. Simmer until just tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches. Return the soup to a clean pot and bring just to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and temper in the cream, if using.
*Note: For plant-based, either omit the cream or use a non-dairy substitute. Alternatively, you could add a bit of Cashew Sour Cream to finish.
Serve in warmed bowls and garnish with the blanched asparagus tips, if desired.
15 Comments
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Done it was easy! -
so yummy and easy!
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Need to cut the asparagypus tips in half for the garnish, or they will sink to the bottom of the bowl.
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I tried this recipe both ways, with cream and without, I thought the cream mellowed the taste of the soup too much, The flavor without the cream was much more intense. I enjoyed both ways but I think I prefer without cream. Happy Eats! -
Nice work Rod. Experimenting to find out what you like and don't like, or simply just to see the difference is what separates the average cook from the serious cook/chef. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing your results. Cheers! -
Can you give an approximate weight of the 4 cups of asparagus so I know how much to buy?
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Rouxbe Staff
It's hard to say as it depends on the asparagus and whether it is really tough and more of the stem needs to be trimmed off. Usually, asparagus is sold in bunches. I'd buy 2 bunches (maybe 1.5 to 2 pounds)...just eyeball it. You might have some extra left over that you can incorporate into the soup as garnish or into another dish. Scale the recipe up or down if you want the measurements to be exact. Cheers! -
I agree with Rod, the cream isn't needed if you are using milk. I used full fat milk for this recipe and it was delicious! -
How do we feel about serving this soup cold? It's summer time and I have been searching for a nice cold soup recipe. I'm assuming that I can just let it return to room temperature after done and then refrigerate? Thoughts? -
Rouxbe Staff
Really, it's up to you and whether you like the flavor of this particular soup cold. Once cooked, for food safety reasons, it is best to chill the soup over an ice-bath to cool it down quickly. Refrigerate immediately. The flavor of cold soups/foods tends to become a bit dull so you might need to add extra seasoning to bring out the flavor. Taste it before serving and adjust. Ideally, cold soups should also be served in chilled bowls. Cheers!
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Love this soup! It is a great lite lunch on a warm afternoon. Really enjoyed it cold, just added a dollip of sour cream and some chives and some crusty bread. -
Very very very good. It's the first time I use milk 3,25% instead chicken stock. Adopted !
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Made this one with butter and vegetable stock (the stock was made with reconstituted fresh vegetable bouillon - Rouxbe recipe). I did not peel the stems of the asparagus as my asparagus was very thin. I tempered in heavy cream at the end. Used my Vitamix to blend (which works like a charm every time for a super smooth soup). After serving (and while eating), I felt like the soup was a bit too thick. Next time, I will thin out with some additional stock post blending while reheating on the stove and before adding the cream. My soup was also not as vibrant green as I would have liked. I think I may have cooked the asparagus a bit too long. Will be more conscious of that next time. Otherwise, a great soup and very easy to make! -
Rouxbe Staff
Hi Sunnie: Asparagus are generally in season from February to June. And, you may be right, I am thinking that the asparagus were perhaps overcooked. Nonetheless, you always provide very descriptive reviews of your dishes, and this one sounds delicious, too! Thanks for writing! -Char -
All recipes should be conducted in weight, and measures; Measures are not always accurate, neither is weight if you were to include humidity of the room in the differential of weight to your dried goods. This can also have an effect. This tends to be far more pronounced when you are working with extremely large volumes of products.
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