Asparagus Soup with Meyer lemon-herb gremolata, creme fraiche, and toasted pine nuts. A vibrant green soup that is not only healthy but is beautiful to look at too.

When it’s cold in Lake Tahoe, I pretty much want soups every day and for every meal. It’s my healthy cozy, comfort food. I honestly can have soups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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Soups all-day-everyday but make more for the freezer

I love soups, I love making them, I love eating them, and I always make enough for the next day. Because when you put all that effort into a dish, you want leftovers or freezer meals right. You are saving time by preparing for additional meals to enjoy the next day and that’s always a time-saving trick I need up my sleeve. 

Cozy up to a bowl of the good stuff

I’m a firm believer that food doesn’t need to be complicated to taste good, and soups are one of those dishes that is hard to mess up. Build flavor + good broth + seasoning to taste = good soup. 

How to make asparagus soup satisfying, nourishing, and delicious?

My rules with soup are, saute that aromatics (onions and garlic) to carmelize and build flavor, add more veggies (in this case the asparagus and spinach), season to taste, and the most crucial step, use a broth that you genuinely enjoy.

The foundation to a good soup is a good broth

Not everyone has time to make a homemade bone broth, but to speed things up, they have excellent frozen bone broths at the grocery stores that are not only nourishing but have a lot of tasty flavors. I love a good chicken bone broth, but if you are veggie, there are good options too. Go with what suits your needs!

Here is a link to Bonafide bone broth that can be found in the freezer section at the grocery stores. Or if you live in Lake Tahoe, Verde Mexican Rotisserie makes an excellent rich chicken bone broth that’s a perfect local source. And my personal go-to!

Spring is asparagus season so why not make asparagus soup

It’s asparagus season! Asparagus soup has a light and delicate flavor that is perfect when you want a tasty and healthy meal: Zesty Meyer Lemon gremolata and added spinach for an extra green punch.

How to keep your asparagus soup that bright green?

Most soups you can simmer for hours, and they get better and better with time. If you overcook your asparagus, it can turn a brownish-green with asparagus soup you need to serve immediately. No one wants a brown soup, that green color is show-stopping. Let’s keep is that way!

Accommodating special diets – vegetarian

If you are a vegetarian replace the bone broth with your favorite vegetable broth.

Accommodating special diets – dairy free

The recipe calls to top this soup with a creme fraiche but if you can’t eat dairy (like me) or are vegan we have some options.

You can replace the creme fraiche with a drizzle of coconut milk or a thinned out dairy-free sour cream. Just thin the sour cream with a little water or lemon juice as I mentioned within the recipe.

I’m a big fan of Kite Hill Sour Cream alternative, give it a try! The best dairy-free sour cream that actually tastes like sour cream. Believe me!

Accommodating special diets – nut free

The Meyer lemon-herb gremolata has pine nuts in the recipe but you can easily with hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds for a non-nutty alternative. Or leave the nuts out, creating a herby topping component.

The asparagus soup recipe is already gluten-free

Want a healthy sweet treat to make too, try our Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan & gluten-free) and they are amazing!

Print Recipe

Asparagus Soup with Meyer lemon-herb gremolata, creme fraiche, and toasted pine nuts

Course: Soup

Keyword: soup, spring

Ingredients

Soup

• ¼ cup high heat cooking oil avocado, coconut, butter or ghee
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 4 cups broth veggie, or chicken bone broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2-3 bunches of asparagus
• Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste
• ½ cup creme fraiche thinned with a little water or lemon juice, for garnish. Or for dairy-free alternative read post.

GREMOLATA

• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for garnish
• ½ cup toasted pine nuts for garnish
• 1 cup Italian parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 zest of a lemon
• kosher salt

Optional garnish

• ½ cup toasted pine nuts any extra save for garnish
• 1 package of prosciutto about 6 slices

Instructions

Soup

• Trim asparagus ends slice and set aside. Reserve the tops only for garnish.
• To cook the tops of asparagus place in a bowl with a little water, microwave, or drop in boiling water for less than a minute and immediately place in an ice-water bath. Shocking the asparagus will keep its bright green color, you just need them tender.
• In a large dutch oven on medium heat add oil, onion, garlic, and cook until translucent. About 5-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the gremolata place all ingredients in a food processor or chop everything on a cutting board. Reserve for garnish.
• Add stock to the dutch oven, fresh thyme, and bring at a simmer.
• Add the asparagus (not the tops), cook, until tender, add spinach, and turn off the heat.
• Place soup in a blender and puree. Be extra careful when blending hot liquids, it can explode. Set a dishtowel on top of the blender and start slowly. Use caution.
• Pour pureed soup back in the pot, heat until warm, and serve.

Optional garnish

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a parchment-lined baking sheet lay the prosciutto and roast for 5-10 minutes. Keeping a close eye on them, they can burn easily, you want them nice and crispy.
• To serve ladle hot soup in bowls, drizzle with creme fraiche, olive oil, pine nuts, and a sprinkle of gremolata.

LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED THIS RECIPE! AND TAG #FEDANDFULL