Like clockwork, as soon as spring hits, I start to crave my favorite seasonal green vegetables. At the top of my list is asparagus. While I’m familiar with many recipes featuring this healthy and flavorful veggie, none of them hold a candle to this Paleo Cream of Asparagus Soup. It’s velvety in texture, completely dairy free, and full of healing ingredients.
What you’ll need to make this recipe
There is certainly no need for heavy cream or cheese in my Paleo Cream of Asparagus Soup. It gets its silky texture from full fat coconut milk. Don’t be put off by this essential ingredient. With all the other flavorful additions in this soup, I promise you won’t detect a hint of coconut in your savory soup.
Here are a few of the healthy ingredients that bring this soup to life:
Asparagus
Aside from being a delicious vegetable that’s easy to add to any dinner, asparagus hosts a multitude of nutritional benefits. That’s why it’s so high on my list of favorite spring vegetables! Asparagus is an excellent source of fiber, with 4 grams in every cup, and an equal amount of protein. It’s also known to fight free radicals making it a powerful antioxidant. On top of all that, asparagus is full of vitamins including A, B6, C, and E.
If you want to revitalize your body in a fresh, new season, then look for this amazing vegetable the next time you make your rounds at the grocery store. You could even find a canned version to keep for later.
Bone Broth
Bone broth is a great source of amino acids, collagen, and gelatin. It’s a staple in any gut-healing diet that supports a healthy immune system.
For this recipe, you can make your own bone broth using this recipe, or you can use my Bone Broth Collagen Powder combined with water. It will provide the same flavor and health benefits, and guarantees optimal amounts of collagen protein to support healthy joints, hair, and skin.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is the key ingredient that gives this Paleo Cream of Asparagus soup it’s creamy texture without any real milk. This dairy-free alternative contains MCT fats which can help promote healthy digestion, and it keeps you full and satisfied. It’s the best milk to use for this Creamy Asparagus Soup. You can, however, use any unsweetened dairy-free milk alternative.
If you do use the preferred, canned, full-fat coconut milk, be sure to shake the can well to evenly blend the contents of coconut milk and coconut cream in the can. They can separate if they’ve been on the shelf for a while.
In addition to the essential ingredients listed above, you’ll also want a big stock pot, and an immersion blender. A standard blender will also work, but it’s just a little more work transferring the blended ingredients.
How to make Paleo Cream of Asparagus Soup
Start by caramelizing your onions over medium low heat. This process can take a while, but the longer and slower you cook your onions, the more flavor they have. You can caramelize onions in as little as 10-20 minutes, or as long as 40 minutes, depending on how high you set the temperature. I prefer to go somewhere in the middle, which takes about 20-30 minutes. The flavor these onions bring to this soup is outstanding.
Once your onions are caramelized, add the garlic, ginger, and sea salt to the stock pot, and stir to combine. If you’re using fresh garlic, you’ll want this to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.
While the garlic is cooking, prepare your asparagus by removing the woody stems and discarding them. Then, cut the stalks into 1” segments, separating the stems from the tips.
When the garlic is browned, add the bone broth to the stock pot, along with the cut stems of the asparagus (reserve the tips for later). Turn the heat down and simmer the asparagus stems for 20-30 minutes until the asparagus is very tender.
During this time, you can prep the asparagus tips. In a second pot, boil the water and add the tips. Boil for about 5 minutes until they are tender but still crisp. Remove the asparagus from the water and put into a bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking process and will keep the tips very green.
When the asparagus stems in the stock pot are completely done cooking, add the coconut milk to the stock pot and remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully ladle the soup into your stand blender and blend in 2-3 batches.
To serve, sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper, and garnish with asparagus tips. You can also add a dollop of plain, coconut milk yogurt and dried or fresh chives as an optional garnish.
Does this recipe freeze well?
Yes, this recipe freezes very well. However, I prefer to blend the asparagus tips into the soup before freezing. Carefully ladle the Cream of Asparagus Soup into a wide mouthed mason jar, seal, and freeze. Keep in mind that soups will expand in the jar as they freeze, so leave about 1-2” of empty space when filling and sealing your jar to allow for expansion. Otherwise, you may end up cracking your jar as the soup completely freezes.
When you’re ready to eat, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Paleo Cream of Asparagus Soup
Course:
Protocol:
Servings
4
Ingredients
- 1 lb 454.00 g asparagus
- 2 onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp 14.79 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced (or 1/2 tsp ground garlic)
- 1 tsp 4.93 ml ground ginger
- 2 tsp 9.86 ml sea salt
- 4 cups 960.00 ml bone broth (or 4 cups water and 4 full scoops of my bone broth protein powder)
- 1 1/2 cups 360.00 ml full fat coconut milk
- ground black pepper to taste
- chives fresh or dried (optional, for garnish)
- coconut milk (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- In a soup pot, over medium to low heat, add olive oil and chopped onions. Stir occasionally until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
- Add garlic, sea salt, and ginger, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, trim tips from asparagus and set off to the side for later. Remove woody ends of asparagus and discard. Cut remaining spears into 1-inch pieces.
- Add broth to the stock pot, and bring to a boil. Add asparagus stem pieces, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the asparagus stems are tender.
- While the stems are cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus tips and cook for 5 minutes until they are tender, but still crisp. Immediately move the asparagus tips to a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking. Set aside.
- Add coconut milk to broth. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Garnish with sea salt, black pepper, and reserved asparagus tips. You can also add fresh or dried chives and/or plain coconut milk yogurt to garnish.
