I first had cream of asparagus soup at a place that David and I stopped at for lunch on one of our mountain exploration days a few years ago and have wanted to try my hand at it ever since.
I know that last Monday was the first day of summer, but technically asparagus season is through June, but June has a few more days in it. Unfortunately, my plans for last week’s Meatless Monday post were all messed up due to the storm and power outage here on the mountain. So I am going to share this recipe for cream of asparagus soup with you today.
This classic cream of asparagus soup is velvety smooth, mild, and gently flavored with lemon and a hint of nutmeg. This asparagus soup tastes pretty luxurious and only takes just minutes to make. A lot of recipes call for heavy cream, but I decided against it using whole milk and thickened the soup with a roux instead. I served it with a slice of crusty bread for a light supper.
Let’s make cream of asparagus soup!
How To Make Cream of Asparagus Soup
First, trim the stalks of the asparagus; cut stalks into ½-inch pieces; set aside.
Cook onion in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened.
Add asparagus pieces and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine the asparagus/onion mixture and ¾ cup of the vegetable broth.
Cover; blend or process until smooth. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan melt remaining tablespoon of butter; stir in flour and add in nutmeg and lemon zest. Cook about two minutes.
Add milk and cook, stirring till slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 more minute, then stir in the vegetable mixture and the remaining ¾ cup of vegetable broth. Cook and stir until heated through. If necessary, you may need to stir in additional milk to achieve the desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze with lemon juice, to taste. Serve immediately.
This soup took me back to that day when David and I were exploring the mountains. I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try for something special and that it makes special memories for you as well.
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup sweet onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth divided
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 cup whole milk
- fresh lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- Trim the stalks of the asparagus; cut stalks into ½-inch pieces; set aside.
- Cook onion in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened.
- Add asparagus pieces and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the asparagus/onion mixture and ¾ cup of the vegetable broth. Cover; blend or process until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan melt remaining tablespoon of butter; stir in flour and add in nutmeg and lemon zest. Cook about two minutes.
- Add milk and cook stirring till slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 more minute, then stir in the vegetable mixture and remaining broth. Cook and stir until heated through. If necessary, you may need to stir in additional milk to achieve the desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze with lemon juice, to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Marta says
I loooove asparagus, I make a very similar soup too, but lemon zest seems to be a very interesting addition to it. Will try soon! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Marta! So glad you like this soup and the zest idea. The zest adds just a little more freshness to the soup. I think you will love it! 🙂
Anonymous says
Sounds yummy! By trimming the stalks do you mean trimming the hard part off? Not that familiar with asparagus but want to try this. Thanks!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi! Yes, trimming meaning getting rid of the hard part. If you click the link in under the ingredients where it says “trimmed” the link will take you to another post that tells you the best method for trimming. Hope you enjoy the soup. It’s delicious! 🙂
Dana @ IveGotCake says
TI agree with Marta, interesting combination using lemon zest but what really took me by surprise was the addition of nutmeg.
What did the final result taste like?
The Mountain Kitchen says
It was great! You get that warmth from the nutmeg but yet the zesty zing of lemon zest. Had me rocking back and forth when I ate it. ((Warm Pizzazz))
Debbie from MountainMama says
I thought of you today, Debbie, when I was planning my dinner menu for a Meatless Monday! This soup looks amazing and will be put on the rotation for sure – mmmmmmm!!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Debbie! I thought of you this weekend too when I saw a bear walk through my property on our mountain. 😀