Puree of Asparagus Soup
By the Gracious Vegan
A little rice goes a long way… It’s the secret to why this soup is so creamy. The texture is silky smooth, making the soup perfect for an elegant dinner party, or for whenever you want to feel elegant.
Makes: 6 cups (about 105 calories per serving)
Wash the asparagus. No need to snap off the hard ends.
2 pounds asparagus
Garnishes. Cut the tops off 12 of the stalks to use as garnishes at the end. Either microwave these tops for 2-3 minutes with a little water, then cool quickly with cold water, or cook in water on the stove for about 3 minutes, then cool quickly with cold water.
Broth. Cut the bottom third from each stalk and combine them with leek tops, broth, and bay leaf in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain, discard the solids, and save the broth.
The bottom third of each asparagus stalk
The green tops (no need to chop or slice them) of 2 large leeks, which have been sliced lengthwise and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
The soup. Return empty pot to the stove. Water-sauté with ¼ cup water the white parts of the leeks until they are transparent, about 5 minutes. (What is water-sauté?)
White parts of the 2 leeks, thinly sliced
Add the next ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
1 cup of the broth
3 tablespoons uncooked white rice or 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 teaspoon salt, more as needed
Add next ingredients and simmer, covered, over low heat, until asparagus is completely tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
The remaining broth
The remaining asparagus, cut into 1-2” pieces
Purée the soup with an immersion blender to desired texture. Season with these.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice, more as desired
Serve with the asparagus tops as garnish.
Timing: Hands-on time 30 minutes, Total time 55 minutes
Nutritional information per serving (based on 4 servings): 104 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat, 22g carbs, 14mg sodium, 6g fiber, 6g protein
Gluten-free