Cozy and Healthy - Asparagus Soup

Don't you just love winter and all the cozy foods that go along with this season?

I made this for my sister Emily a few weeks ago because 1. I had lots of veggies, 2. she's really pretty, and 3. she was feeling sick.  I'm pretty sure soup has some magical healing powers, and I KNOW veggies do!

This is so easy and can be altered depending on what veggies you have and what flavors you're in the mood for!  It's very similar to my potato-leek soup - the method is almost identical!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

This recipe could be easily doubled or adapted depending on what veggies you like - change it up any way you like!  Here's what you'll need for 4 servings:

• 1 small bunch asparagus
• 1 large baking potato or a few small potatoes
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium to small zucchini
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock (use veggie to make this vegetarian)
• 1/4 cup half and half, milk, or cream

I use lots of different veggies in this to get a nice varied flavor, but since the asparagus is the most used vegetable it has the strongest flavor.  The potatoes add a nice creaminess without lots of calories - always a great plan.

For the asparagus, I thinly slice the stalks into rounds, leaving the top 2 inches whole for the topping.  You don't need to trim off the ends unless you just love wasting food - we're going to puree the soup so any toughness will be pulverized!

Add the asparagus to a heated soup pot with 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Dice the potatoes and add those in too!

Now, chop the celery and onion very finely, and add them to the pot too.

Now for the zucchini and garlic - you can chop them, but I like to grate them straight into the pot so the soup cooks even faster!

Stir everything around and sprinkle the veggies generously with salt and pepper.

Delicious!  Let the veggies saute for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften, then add the chicken stock.  If you have a large pot or use more veggies you might need more than two cups - just add enough so the veggies are nearly covered.

Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low.  Let the veggies simmer until they're very tender, for 15-30 minutes.   Smaller veggies will cook faster, so remember that when chopping!

While the veggies are cooking, heat a small skillet to medium-high heat and saute the asparagus tops that you reserved for 3 minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, then set them aside for when you serve the soup.

Check the soup - when the veggies are tender, it's time to blend it!  I have a fabulous immersion blender that I just love, but you can use a blender or food processor - whatever works for you!

When the veggies are pureed, add the half and half or dairy of your choice and bring the soup back to a boil - taste it for salt and pepper here too!

I got excited and added a pat of butter - I probably could have done without it though, but who cares?  It was still delicious!

Ahhhhh this is just delicious.  Look how green and pretty it is!  Soups like this are a great way to use up veggies that are past their prime, and this is a quick and easy thing to make on a Sunday afternoon or weeknight - the leftovers are great for lunch!  I actually ONLY used this batch for lunches - I separated the soup into plastic containers, topped the portions with the asparagus tops, and we were ready for a whole week of work!

Enjoy this - it's lovely and fresh and healthy all at the same time!  Bacon crumbles, pine nuts, and goat cheese would make fabulous toppings as well - you could make a toppings bar and serve this as a first course!