Creamy Asparagus Soup
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 4 servings
- Prep 5 mins
- Cook 28 mins
Spring is asparagus' best season.
Mark Boughton Photography / styling: Teresa Blackburn
Look for firm asparagus stalks with heads that are tight and compact. The tips should smell fresh and clean.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped asparagus spears (snap woody ends of stalk off before cleaning and chopping; reserve the tender tips to stir in the soup just before serving. )
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion, celery, leek and asparagus. Cook about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth; cover and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Place vegetables and broth in a food processor or blender, working in batches, if necessary. Process until smooth. Return to saucepan. Add remaining broth and half-and-half. Cook over low heat; do not boil.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water and whisk into soup. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring until soup thickens. Add salt and white pepper. Add asparagus tips and cook 3 minutes.
Recipe courtesy of the Deerfield Inn in Deerfield, Mass.
