Cauliflower and milk substitute for the cream to create a delicate soup that contains fewer calories than a traditional cream of asparagus. Using the woody stems to create an asparagus stock maximizes the asparagus flavor, resulting in a luxurious soup worthy of any occasion.
Our kids LOVED this soup! Even the ones who positively don’t like asparagus, cauliflower, or soup .. it's that good!
–There are two parts to this recipe, the stock and the soup itself. I recommend that you take a little extra time to simmer your own stock. It adds extra asparagus flavor and saves on waste.
TOP TIP: Store asparagus as you would flowers. Trim the bottoms a little and stand the spears up in a jar of water.
Ingredients
2 tbsp Oil or butter for sautéing – I use butter, but any oil that is relatively neutral in flavour will work.
5 Shallots – a little sweeter than regular onions and have a more delicate flavor. Leeks or regular onion will also work just fine if you use just a little less than the recipe requires. Save any tops and peels to add flavor to your stock!
2 Garlic cloves – crushed or chopped finely.
500g/ 1lb Cauliflower – aim for roughly the same amount of cauliflower as asparagus. Don’t discard all of the leaves – save them for your vegetable stock!
500g/ 1lb Asparagus – I used two bunches, about 500g/ 1lb in total. You can,, of course, vary the asparagus-cauliflower ratio depending on how strong an asparagus flavor you’re after.
200ml Milk – I used full-fat milk. You can, of course, use low-fat, lactose free, or dairy-free.
1 l Water
1tsp Salt– use a good quality sea salt.
–I usually prepare the vegetables and throw together the stock so that it will be ready to use just as the other vegetables are finished sautéing. The whole process, stock included, takes me then only 30 minutes, and there is minimal waste.
You can skip making your own stock and substitute with half a chicken or vegetable stock cube. You will need to use less salt than the recipe calls for.
You will need:
An immersion blender or food processor t make this soup really smooth.
Method
1. The tough and woody root ends of asparagus need to be removed before cooking and you can do this in a few ways.
The natural snap-off point is where the unpalatable toughness ends, and the tender asparagus begins. Simply take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks.
Alternatively, slice off the bottom tough parts of the stalks just where the color turns from white to green.
Set aside the woody ends in a small pot, you will use these to make an asparagus stock!
2. Chop the asparagus into 1/2’’ – 1’’ / 1-2cm pieces, depending on how thick your asparagus is. We want to cook this soup on low heat for a short amount of time to maintain as much flavour as possible so having smaller pieces is optimal.
3. Remove the baby leaves and stem from the cauliflower and set the stem aside for the stock. The young, baby leaves are also edible and you can add these to your stock also if you like. Chop the cauliflower roughly into 1’’ /2cm chunks.
The stock:
4. The stock: For this step, you will need to have saved the ends of asparagus, shallot onions, garlic, and stem of the cauliflower. Discard any part of the vegetables that don’t look healthy and chop and slice all veggie scraps so that they are roughly the same size.
5. Add the scraps to a medium-sized pot and add the water. It should just cover the vegetables. You can add a little more if necessary.
6. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, no longer. You want to give the vegetables time to soften but avoid your stock developing a bitter flavour.
6. Strain the stock into a bowl or pot and discard the vegetables.
7. Melt the butter, if using butter, in a medium-sized pot and add the shallots. Sauté on a medium low heat, stirring often to soften them without browning.
8. Add the garlic and sauté for just a minute or two, we want to soften the vegetables and bring out the sweetness in the shallots and garlic without browning.
9. Add the asparagus and stir to coat them in butter or oil. Turn down the heat a little and allow the asparagus to warm gently.
10. Stir in the cauliflower and put the lid on the pot, still on medium – low heat. Stir occasionally.
The idea here is to ‘sweat the vegetables’ for 5-7 minutes to soften them gently and draw out their flavours.
Sweating the vegetables is an important step. The goal is to soften the vegetables without browning them and let their flavors get a chance to start mingling.
11. Add the stock and milk together with the salt. Turn up the heat and bring to a gentle simmer until the asparagus and cauliflower have just softened. This will only take about 5-10 minutes.
12. Use an immersion to blend the soup until silky smooth. If using a food processor you will need to wait until the soup has cooled before blending.
You can add a little hot water or warm milk if you would like to thin the soup a little. Season to taste and serve with a sprinkle of blue cheese or why not some smoked prawns for a luxurious meal!
Serving suggestions
The delicate flavors of this soup make it a delicious and versatile starter with a little blue cheese or parmesan flakes sprinkled on top or with a gently poached egg for a vegetarian meal.
Topped with smoked prawns, this soup is a luxurious and light summer dish that can be enjoyed with a glass of white wine.
I discovered that this soup also makes a wonderful base for a fish stew. Heat the soup in a pot and add 1/2 inch chunks of cod or salmon . Simmer until the fish is cooked through and easily flakes apart, about 5 minutes.
Variations to try
You can skip making your own stock and substitute with half a chicken or vegetable stock cube. You will need to use less salt than the recipe calls for. I find that the flavors of most stock cubes are too strong for this delicate and mild soup, so you may want to consider just adding salt and water. Or perhaps a little celeriac to the soup, which will both add flavor and thicken the soup slightly.
To make this asparagus soup vegan
It’s super easy to make this recipe vegan without using coconut milk, which would normally compete with the mild flavor of asparagus.
Swap the milk for a neutral-flavored plant-based alternative, for example, cashew milk or high-quality oat milk. Substitute the butter in this recipe for a vegetable-based oil, for example, refined coconut oil or mild olive oil.
Top with some Crispy Tofu Croutons!
If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love it if you would give it 5 stars and let me know in the comments below!
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Velvety Smooth Asparagus Soup - Without Cream
Cauliflower and milk substitute for the cream to create a delicate soup that contains fewer calories than a traditional cream of asparagus. Using the woody stems to create an asparagus broth maximizes the asparagus flavor, resulting in a luxurious soup worthy of any occasion.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or other neutral cooking oil
- 5 shallot onions, finely chopped - ends put aside for the stock
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped - ends put aside for the stock
- Asparagus - about 500g/1lb
- Cauliflower - 1 small head at about 500g/ 1lb
- Milk - 200ml /just under 1 cup
- Water- 1L / 8.5 cups
- Salt - 1-2 teaspoons
Instructions
You will need: An immersion blender or food processor to make this soup really smooth.
1. The tough and woody root ends of asparagus need to be removed before cooking, and you can do this in a few ways.
The natural snap-off point is where the unpalatable toughness ends, and the tender asparagus begins. Simply take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks.
Alternatively, slice off the bottom tough parts of the stalks just where the color turns from white to green. Set aside the woody ends in a small pot, you will use these to make an asparagus stock!
2. Chop the asparagus into 1/2’’ - 1’’ / 1-2cm pieces, depending on how thick your asparagus is; We want to cook this soup on low heat for a short amount of time to maintain as much flavour as possible so having smaller pieces is optimal.
3. Remove the leaves and stem from the cauliflower and set the stem aside for the stock. The smaller, younger leaves are edible and have a mild flavor, you can also use these in your stock if you wish. Chop the cauliflower roughly into 1’’ /2cm slices or chunks.
4. The stock: For this step, you will need to have saved any peelings, ends of asparagus, shallot peels, and cauliflower stem. Discard any part of the vegetables that don’t look healthy.
Chop and slice all veggie scraps so that they are roughly the same size; I chop quite finely as the soup itself doesn’t take long to prepare, and it speeds up the process.
5. Add the scraps to a medium-sized pot and add the water. It should just cover the vegetables. You can add a little more if necessary.
Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, no longer. You want to give the vegetables time to soften but avoid your stock developing a bitter flavour.
6. Strain the stock into a bowl or pot and discard the vegetables.
7. Melt the butter, if using, in a medium-sized pot and add the shallots. Saute on medium-low heat, stirring often to soften them without browning.
8. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
9. Add the asparagus and stir to coat them in butter or oil. Turn down the heat and allow the asparagus to warm gently.
10. Stir in the cauliflower and put the lid on the pot, still on medium-low heat. Sweat the vegetables for 5-7 minutes to soften them gently and draw out their flavours.
10. Add the stock and milk together with the salt. Turn up the heat and bring to a gentle simmer until the asparagus and cauliflower have just softened. This will only take about 5 minutes.
11. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until silky smooth. If using a food processor you will need to wait until the soup has cooled before blending.
You can add a little hot water if you find the soup too thick. Season to taste and serve with a sprinkle of blue cheese or why not some smoked prawns for a luxurious meal!
Notes
This soup can be stored in the fridge for 4 - 5 days. In the freezer for three months or more.
For a vegan alternative, Substitute the butter in this recipe for a vegetable-based oil, for example, coconut oil or mild olive oil. Swap out the milk for a neutral-flavored plant-based alternative, such as cashew or high-quality oat milk.