Easy Creamy And Healthy Broccoli Asparagus Soup

What To Serve It With

Keep it simple or garnish it up with steamed asparagus tips, parsley or other fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil at the end, or sprinkle a little cheddar or parmesan cheese on top. Easy. A chunk of fresh, crusty bread is always welcome and a simple, crisp salad for a little textural contrast pairs well too.

This makes a great starter or appetizer, a perfect meal or light dinner. (I like to pair it with spinach Greek salad or the luxe Italian style arugula burrata and roasted grape salad. For a soup and sandwich combo, pair it up with a brie apple grilled cheese or a New Orleans style muffuletta.)

Ingredients

The creamy texture of this soup makes it a great way to get picky eaters to eat their veggies and only a few ingredients are needed to make this simple vegetable soup recipe. The key is fresh seasonal ingredients. This soup is an ode to fresh spring asparagus and cold hardy broccoli, both of which thrive in the cool rains of spring. (Got kids? This creamy broccoli cheddar soup is great for them.)

• Asparagus - Chop up the green parts of the asparagus spears, discarding the tough ends (or use for your veggie stock). Reserve the asparagus tips for garnishing if you like. Blanch the tips briefly, cool and set aside to top bowls of soup with once finished.
• Broccoli - Chop fresh broccoli florets small so they are easily pureed by the immersion blender (or regular blender) at the end. Use it all including stems, minus any tough brown stem ends or spots that need to be trimmed off first.
• Vegetable Broth - I like a good veggie broth for this soup but chicken broth is a perfect alternative if you're not vegetarian.
• Cream - Half fat or coffee cream is called for here, it is 10% M.F. Feel free to use heavy whipping cream if you want a thicker, richer soup. I don't recommend using plain milk because it can curdle with the addition of the lemon juice and it won't adequately thicken the soup and give it the desired creamy consistency. Heavy cream does add a little more richness and is very delicious in this simple soup.
• Olive oil - I used extra virgin olive oil but butter is a tasty substitute if you prefer. Plain vegetable oil is fine too, with it's neutral flavor.

Substitutions + Variations

• Add Ins - If you want a chunky soup, stir in bite sized broccoli florets, ½" pieces of asparagus or cooked cubes of Yukon gold potatoes after pureeing the soup. Cook 3-5 more minutes until heated through.
• Toppings - This broccoli asparagus soup recipe is great on it's own but you can dress it up with the garnishes listed above or your favorite protein. A dollop of goat cheese, sour cream, whipped cream (no sugar added) are creamy options. Toasted cashews or sliced almonds are tasty crunchy toppings and if you want more, juicy shrimp or cooked chopped chicken pair well with this healthy soup.
• Frozen veggies - Although fresh will taste better, you can make this soup with frozen broccoli and asparagus. Since it is getting pureed, any loss of texture from freezing will be unnoticeable in the finished soup. Add the frozen veggies at the same time you would add the fresh in the recipe, and continue on as per the recipe card.
• Spice - Want your soup a little spicy? A ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon of Tobasco hot sauce are perfect in this soup. Of course you can add as much as you like, to taste, but the spice develops more over time so add the spice at the beginning, with the broth, and taste it at the end before deciding whether to add more.
• Dairy-free - Swap out the cream for full-fat coconut milk if you can't tolerate dairy.
• Egg-free - Blend 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with ⅔ cup of the stock that's been cooled to warm room temperature. Add in place of the egg and cream mixture, whisking constantly.

Step By Step Instructions

Creamy broccoli asparagus soup is equally at home as a main course, starter or side soup.

Step 1. In a large Dutch oven sauté diced onion over medium heat (use a deep large pot so that it is easy to puree the soup without it splattering out).

Step 2. Coarsely chop the broccoli and asparagus into small pieces and add them to the pot. (Chop your veggies small so they can be easily pureed with an immersion blender.)

Step 3. Pour in broth and simmer 15 minutes.

Step 4. After cooking for awhile, it's not the most beautiful green color but the flavor is clean, rich and delicious. Once the veggies are soft, it's time to blend them.

Step 5. Turn heat off and blend with an immersion blender. Blend and puree the soup until it's creamy and smooth.

Step 6. If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully transfer ½ the soup at a time into a regular high-speed blender or food processor. Lightly put the lid on (so steam can escape a little) and hold the top on with a tea towel and your hand while blending. Repeat with remaining soup and pour back into a pot.

Step 7. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and cream together. Add a ladle of the soup in and whisk well to temper the cream.

Step 8. Pour the cream mixture into the soup, whisking constantly. Whisk in lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco hot sauce if using.

Serve. Ladle soup into bowls and top with your favorite garnishes, serving while hot.