Creamy Vegan Asparagus Soup

Love creamy soups, but can’t tolerate the dairy? This simple vegetable soup is dairy-free, gluten-free and flavor-FULL. Pureed vegetable soups usually have added cream or thickeners. My creamy vegan asparagus soup gets its creamy mouth-feel from potato.  Not a lot of potato – just enough to add body to the soup. Try it and see.

Every cook should have two or three pureed vegetable soup recipes in their arsenal.  Something quick and easy, healthy and tasty for those last minute meals or as a starter to a main course. This vegan asparagus soup has fresh zucchini, spring asparagus, onions and garlic, along with a bit of potato for body and richness. You can use a peeled diced potato, but… full disclosure… I used leftover roasted potato from dinner the night before.  You can too, if you have some lurking in the fridge.

Pureed vegetable soup is really easy to make and you can certainly change up the veg according to what you have in the refrigerator. My big tip is to use vegetables that:

• Compliment the other flavors
• Are in the same general color of the rainbow

I had zucchini and asparagus in my crisper drawer.  Asparagus is a very distinct flavor so it needed flavors that would compliment instead of competing.  Zucchini has no “real” flavor, so it was the ideal vegetable. Onion and garlic lay the foundation for the soup and the potato (another neutral flavor) lended that creamy mouth-feel.

To Make Simple Vegetable Soup:

• Dice zucchini and onion. Mince the garlic.
• Trim the bottom 1″ of the asparagus spears and discard.  Cut the remaining pieces of asparagus into 1″ pieces. (If you’re reserving the tops for garnish – set them aside – I give instructions in the recipe card on how to blanch them.)
• For raw potato, chop it into a small dice, however, if you’re using leftover roasted or boiled potatoes, you don’t have to dice them — they’re already cooked and if they’re a thin-skinned potato, you don’t have to peel them, either.
• Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat in a large sauce pan and add the zucchini, onion and garlic. Sweat the vegetables until they’re tender and slightly translucent.
• Add the asparagus, potatoes and broth.
• Heat to boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.
• Transfer the vegetables and broth to a blender or food processor (Be very careful not to fill it more than halfway with the soup.  When processing, the hot soup can easily reach the top of the blender and shoot out — causing burns. Don’t do it.)
• Puree the soup until smooth. Add the lemon juice. Pulse again to combine.
• Pour into bowls, garnish and serve.

Note: The lemon is critical to this vegan asparagus soup. That touch of acid takes it from one note to hitting all the spots on your tongue. Don’t leave it out.

Optional Garnishes For Pureed Vegetable Soup

• Blanched Asparagus Tips
• Twist of Lemon
• Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sprinkle of Croutons or Toasted Breadcrumbs
• Swirl of Half and Half (not vegan)
• Finely Dinced Raw Zucchini
• Smattering of Shoestring Potatoes (the canned variety)

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Creamy Vegan Vegetable Soup

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus, lemon, zucchini

Dietary Restrictions: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 119 kcal

A creamy, flavorful soup with lots of body, but gluten and dairy free!

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Ingredients

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large zucchini chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound asparagus
• 1/2 pound potatoes use any type of potato. If they're cooked, just add directly to the pot, if they're raw, chop into a 1/2" dice (I used leftover roasted potatoes - skin and all)
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Trim the bottom one inch from the asparagus and discard (this is the tough part of the stem and it can get fibrous). Chop the asparagus into 1" pieces, reserving the tops for garnish if desired.

2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the olive oil.  When hot, but not smoking add the garlic, onion and zucchini and salt. Cook and stir until the vegetables are fragrant and slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.  

3. Add the asparagus, potatoes and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

4. Transfer the vegetables and broth to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. 

5. Add the lemon juice and blend to combine.  Taste for seasonings and add additional salt and/or pepper if desired. 

To Blanche Asparagus Tips (optional):

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.  Add the asparagus tips and boil for 2 minutes.

2. Set up an ice bath in a small bowl of water. Drain the asparagus tips and transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels.  Use the blanched asparagus as a garnish for the soup if desired.

To Serve:

1. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with blanched asparagus tips, a twist of lemon or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or other optional garnishes.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Vegan Vegetable Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 119 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Sodium 893mg 37%

Potassium 714mg 20%

Total Carbohydrates 18g 6%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 6g

Protein 5g 10%

Vitamin A 26.6%

Vitamin C 36.4%

Calcium 6.3%

Iron 25.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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