Cream of Asparagus and Spinach Soup
It’s Soup Saturday, and I am the host for this month’s Soup Swappers theme! We’re going meatless, so check out all of the fabulous meatless soups and get ready for Meatless Monday!
I’ve been a huge fan of the Meatless Monday movement for a long time! I have well over 150 Meatless Monday recipes on this site, which you can find in my Meatless Monday recipe index. So, when it came time for me to host another Soup Saturday Swappers, I wanted us to do a meatless recipe.
Meatless Monday was founded in 2003 by Sid Lerner in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In May, 2009, Ghent, Belgium, became the first non-U.S. city to go meatless. Shortly thereafter, Paul McCartney introduced the U.K. to Meat-Free Mondays. This global movement is now active in 44 countries! Skipping meat one day a week is good for you, great for your nation’s health, and better for the planet.
I’m so happy the other bloggers joined me in this one. Be sure to check out their meatless soups in the links below.
For my soup, I decided to use two of the vegetables that signify Spring to me: Asparagus and Spinach. Made into a thick, creamy soup, the naturally delicious flavors of the vegetables are enhanced with the addition of butter, onions, garlic, vermouth, nutmeg and marjoram. Garnished with toasted pine nuts and a dollop of crème fraiche, this really is a meal in a bowl!
I hope you’ll try it!
P~
- 4 ounces fresh baby asparagus, hard stems removed, diced (reserving 6 spear heads for garnish, if desired)
- 4 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ cup vermouth (or dry white wine)
- ½ cup vegetable stock (or water)
- pinch fresh ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon marjoram leaves
- 3 cups heavy cream
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Garnishes:
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts per serving
- 1 tablespoon crème fraiche per serving
- In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, add the butter to melt.
- Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes.
- Add the diced asparagus and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add the vermouth, stock (or water), nutmeg and marjoram and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the cream and allow it to heat.
- Add the spinach leaves and allow to cook for just a couple of minutes (to retain the bright green color).
- Remove the soup from the heat and blend using an immersion blender, or in batches in a standard blender.
- Add salt and ground black pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with crème fraiche and toasted pine nuts.
Lovely soup! It looks so creamy and pretty. Using vermouth is a nice additional flavor!
Thank you, Kathy! I use vermouth quite a bit in cooking. The added elements of the barks and botanicals it is infused with add so much more than a dry white wine can.
Thanks for hosting Paula. Asparagus soup is one of my favorites. I’ll have to include spinach next time.
It was my pleasure, Wendy! Thank you for starting this group…I love it. Do try the spinach…it really adds a lot. <3 P~
That green color is gorgeous! Thanks for the great theme this month.
Thank you, Karen! The vibrant green is a result of just barely cooking the spinach before blending. It makes for a beautiful soup. And I really appreciate you participating with such a great recipe! <3 P~
This is so pretty! I use a little vermouth or sherry in cream soups too- adds so much!
Thank you, Barrie! Vermouth and Sherry are both great additions to cream soups! I will also use sherry with bean soups. Put a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche, then float sherry on top…sprinkle on some green onions or chives…now, I really want some bean soup! <3 P~
Beautiful color of the soup, looks so tempting.
Thank you so much, Sneha! <3