I’m REALLY into asparagus right now. If you missed it, I just posted an AMAZING risotto primavera recipe featuring asparagus and shrimp, which leads me right to today’s recipe! The HIH Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup is the PERFECT Springtime soup. It’s luscious, creamy, and bright with a bonus vegetarian/vegan option for preparation. If you’ve got any dietary restrictions, you’re going to want to look at the ingredients in this recipe to see if they fit your needs. This soup is easily tailored to be vegetarian/vegan, dairy free, and gluten free.
If you’re in the Midwest, you know that despite Spring’s official arrival last week, it was cold and snowy for much of the day. Now, we all know that it very well could have been 90 degrees, you really never know what you’re going to get from Mother Nature until she gives it to you this time of year. Mother Nature’s erratic behavior during a Midwest Spring is no match for this soup. We often think of soups as being served hot, but this soup is absolutely delightful when served chilled.
Reduce your food waste!
As if I need another reason to love this soup, there is very little food waste in this recipe. I hate wasting food, both from a moral and cost perspective! The asparagus I had left in my fridge didn’t look great. Definitely on it’s last leg. It doesn’t matter how pretty the asparagus is for this recipe, it’s getting blended!
This recipe also gets the most out of the ingredients. I use the zest and juice of the lemon and the woody ends of the asparagus don’t need to be removed. If you find yourself throwing away the woody ends of asparagus, don’t do it! The ends still have great flavor, even if their texture doesn’t make them desirable to eat. Throw the ends in a freezer safe zip bag and freeze until you’re ready to make asparagus soup!
Keys to Success
- Make sure your blender is big enough. You definitely need a full size blender for this recipe. Make sure your blender can easily hold 6-8 cups of liquid. If you’ don’t have a blender big enough, you could blend the soup in batches, but the results won’t be quite as smooth. I LOVE my Vitamix blender, worth the splurge if you ask me!
- Place the garlic on top of the asparagus, not directly on the baking sheet. Garlic gets absolutely delicious when its cooked, BUT, as soon as it burns it turns bitter. To prevent any burnt garlic from ruining your soup, make sure there’s a layer of asparagus between the garlic and the sheet pan.
- Taste, taste, taste. This soup may be a departure from your typical flavor profiles. It’s important to taste as you go so you end up with a soup you love!
- Drain and rinse the beans really well. For both taste and textural reasons, making sure the liquid from the canned beans has been rinsed away is important. Use cold water.
Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup with Vegan Option
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 tongs
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 microplane or fine grater
- 1 Medium sauce pan
- 1 collander
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 12 oz asparagus no need to trim ends, unless the ends are white
- 2 15 oz cans white beans great northern or cannelini
- 4 large cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste
- ½ cup half and half or unsweetend coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- On a baking sheet, spread the asparagus out into an even layer and season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and move toss to coat, returning the asparagus to an even layer. Evenly place the smashed garlic cloves and sliced shallots over the top, drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and roast for 15 minutes.
- When the asparagus has finished roasting, remove from the oven and allow to cool to a temperature you're able to handle without burning your fingers.
- While the asparagus is cooling, drain and rinse the white beans and add to the blender along with 2 cups of your broth of choice.
- Once you're asparagus is cooled, cut the tops off and set aside. Use the tops for garnish, as a snack, or a salad topping.
- Add all remaining contents of the baking sheet to the blender and blend on high until silky smooth about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the blended soup to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed along with the ground white pepper if you choose.
- Stir in your half and half or unsweetend coconut milk until combined. Taste again, adjust salt and pepper for seasoning.
- If your soup consistency is too thick, add some additional broth, about 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- This soup can be served warm or chilled.
Nutrition
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[…] for anyone needing to grab and go. Heck, this sandwich is so pretty, you could serve it next to the HIH Roasted Asparagus Soup for company or a light soup and sandwich Easter […]