Maybe I’ve gone a little overboard this season, making all sorts of vegetable soups. But they have become a staple in my family’s kitchen. Soups such as this asparagus one are quick and provide a healthy side or main dish.
I have found that when using my basic formula for vegetable soups I can essentially follow the baseline soup recipe and simply substitute the key vegetable. It really is that easy. Of course, you can get more elaborate such as in variations like my Roasted Tomato Bisque with Chipotle Cream. But at a basic level, it involves sautéing garlic, onion and the said vegetable, then adding chicken broth and seasoning it to taste.
For this asparagus soup I used leek and shallots because I had them in my kitchen but you could substitute yellow or even purple onion without drastically altering the outcome. I prefer adding little to no half and half (or cream) so that it remains a healthy option and so that the flavor of the vegetable {this time, asparagus} shines through. Drinking your vegetables is really an easy way to go!
- 2-3 tsp olive oil or butter
- 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped in 1-inch pieces
- 1 leek, coarsely chopped
- 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Splash of half and half
- Saute the chopped vegetables in the butter or oil over medium heat for five - 10 minutes until the leeks and shallots are translucent and the asparagus is starting to get tender.
- After 5 minutes, sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper and garlic pepper and continue cooking for about 5 minutes more.
- Reserve the asparagus head slices for garnishing (about 8 of them, 2 per bowl).
- Add 2 cups chicken broth and bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the temperature, cover the pot and let the vegetables simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the asparagus is tender.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the remaining chicken broth.
- Once cool enough to put in your blender, puree until smooth.
- Return the pot and heat over low-medium to bring to a simmer and warm through.
- Add a splash of half and half if desired and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish each bowl with two asparagus heads.
