Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup

Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup is a great way to enjoy asparagus. After trying this silky smooth asparagus soup, it may become part of your regular rotation in your kitchen. Here is how to make it, store it, and serve it.

Is Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup Good For You?

Yes, Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup is 100% healthy as it's made with just a few ingredients and doesn't contain any starches or artificial additives. It definitely beats store-bought canned soups due to it being made with whole ingredients.

What’s in Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup?

Asparagus is the star of this soup recipe, however, it also contains chicken broth, cream, and some butter for added creaminess, along with some seasonings.

Ingredients That You'll Need:

Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup recipe is made with just five basic ingredients:

• Butter – Any kind of butter will work here, but I recommend that you use unsalted so that you can adjust the added salt to your taste.
• Minced Garlic – You can either buy fresh garlic and mince it yourself or you can buy minced garlic in a jar for convenience.
• Asparagus – You want to use thinner asparagus stalks with minimal woody ends.
• Chicken Broth – Chicken broth is ideal, but any other broth will do here such as vegetable broth or beef broth.
• Heavy Cream – This will make Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup creamy! However, if you need to eliminate the dairy, you can swap it with coconut cream instead.

How Do You Choose the Freshest Asparagus?

Here are some good techniques that you should consider when picking asparagus to make Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup:

• Thinner isn’t always better: You can find asparagus in different sizes, however, the size doesn't really matter as long as it’s fresh, so I recommend going for fresh asparagus as it will be tender and delicious no matter the size.
• Visual appearance: Stalks that are firm, straight, and smooth are what you should look for. Asparagus should be a vibrant green with a slight violet hue at the tips and ends. If the asparagus isn't stored in a shallow pan of water, ice, or on a damp pad in the grocery store, then you should check the ends in order to see if they’re not completely dried out or flaky.
• What not to buy: You want to avoid asparagus that looks wilted or wrinkled, or has darkened black tips that are falling off the stalk.

Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup Recipe FAQs

Why is My Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup Stringy?

If Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup is stringy, it’s usually due to one of these mistakes:

• The asparagus that you have used is too thick. For the best results, look for thin stalks.
• You may not have trimmed your asparagus properly. You should remove the thick, woody ends of the asparagus and throw them in your compost rather than using them in your soup. Simply, line up the spears and use a knife to cut them where the green turns white.

How Do You Thicken Asparagus Soup?

In order to thicken Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup, you can blend in a little bit of cooked cauliflower. The asparagus will cover up the flavor. However, following the recipe instructions should result in a thick asparagus soup.

What Herbs Go in Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup?

Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup includes either dill or fresh chives for garnish, but you can feel free to try other herbs if you like.

How to Make Barefoot Contessa's Asparagus Soup Without Cream?

The heavy cream is what makes Barefoot Contessa's asparagus soup creamy, but you can replace it with full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream instead if you prefer.

I don’t recommend using low-fat milk, like almond milk or hemp milk, as they don't provide the level of richness that you need to make the asparagus soup creamy.

How to Store Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup in the Fridge

1. Allow the cream of asparagus soup to cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the asparagus soup into an airtight glass or plastic container and place it in the fridge.
3. Properly stored, Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup can last for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.

How to Store Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup in the Freezer?

1. Allow the cream of asparagus soup to cool to room temperature.
2. Place the soup in an airtight container and then place it into the freezer.
3. Properly stored, the soup should last for up to 2 months in the freezer.

What to Serve with Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup?

• fresh dill
• Crumbled bacon
• Garlic Bread
• French Potato Salad
• Greek Salad
• Boiled Eggs

Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ½ cups asparagus, cut into ½-inch pieces and woody stems removed
• 3 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Sour cream, optional, for garnish
• Fresh dill, optional, for garnish

Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup

1. Start by melting the butter in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add garlic and saute it until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the asparagus and saute it for about 5 minutes, until it turns bright green.
3. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
4. After that, reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes or until the asparagus is very soft.
5. When it's cooked, pour the soup into a high-powered blender and blend it until smooth.
6. Transfer your soup back to the pot and add the heavy cream to it while stirring the soup until heated through.
7. Serve garnished with sour cream and fresh dill if desired.

Recipe Tips & Variations

• Cream of Asparagus Soup with Milk: Using milk will make the asparagus soup very thin and it won't have the creaminess or texture that most people will be looking for.
• Cream of Asparagus Soup, Vegan: Switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and instead of cream, use coconut milk.
• Asparagus and Leek Soup: In this version, use leeks alongside the asparagus. Make sure to use the white and light green parts of the leeks rather than the coarse green tops.

Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 161
• Total Fat 8.2g
• Saturated Fat 3.3g
• Cholesterol 22mg
• Sodium 1042mg
• Potassium 360mg
• Total Carbohydrate 16g
• Dietary Fiber 0.7g
• Protein 6.3g
• Vitamin A 12%
• Vitamin C 6.6%
• Calcium 13%
• Iron 4.8%

Barefoot Contessa's Cream of Asparagus Soup

Author: Emily Hill Cooking Method:Stir-frying Cuisine:American Courses:Soups

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 20 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 25 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:161 kcal Best Season:Available

Description

Barefoot Contessa's cream of asparagus soup is a great way to enjoy asparagus. After trying this silky smooth asparagus soup, it may become part of your regular rotation in your kitchen. Here is how to make it, store it, and serve it.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 4 ½ cups asparagus, cut into ½-inch pieces and woody stems removed
  
• 3 ½ cups chicken broth
  
• 1 tsp sea salt
  
• 1 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• Sour cream, optional, for garnish
  
• Fresh dill, optional, for garnish

Instructions

1. Start by melting the butter in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add garlic and saute it until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
   
2. Add the asparagus and saute it for about 5 minutes, until it turns bright green.
   
3. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
   
4. After that, reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes or until the asparagus is very soft.
   
5. When it's cooked, pour the soup into a high-powered blender and blend it until smooth.
   
6. Transfer your soup back to the pot and add the heavy cream to it while stirring the soup until heated through.
7. Serve garnished with sour cream and fresh dill if desired.

Notes

• Cream of Asparagus Soup with Milk: Using milk will make the asparagus soup very thin and it won't have the creaminess or texture that most people will be looking for.
• Cream of Asparagus Soup, Vegan: Switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and instead of cream, use coconut milk.
• Asparagus and Leek Soup: In this version, use leeks alongside the asparagus. Make sure to use the white and light green parts of the leeks rather than the coarse green tops.