141.8…Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

One of my favorite soups is Cream of Asparagus. I love the creamy, velvety texture and the way it warms your soul.

The same can be said for the soup I made last night except the flavor was taken to a new level by roasting the asparagus. Genius!

I really looked forward to making this Great News Cooking School Recipe of the week. The asparagus was from my Farmer’s Market bag from the class I took last Friday. We didn’t actually make this soup in class so I was extra excited to make it at home.

Let’s get started! Get all your ingredients out.

Toss your asparagus and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast them for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt some butter in a saucepan and add some flour. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add some broth and bring to a boil.

Add some cream (I actually just used more broth) and the reserved veggies. You can either use an immersion blender to puree or dump it all in the blender like I did and let it whirl.

Return the soup to the pan.

 

Serve!

I bet you’re wondering where the prosciutto is. Hubby doesn’t eat it so I left it out. The recipe calls for it to be sautéed in butter until crisp and then used to garnish the soup. That would have been quite tasty! 

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto (serves 8)
Original Recipe: Diane Phillips, Great News

Printable Recipe

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ lb. imported Prosciutto, finely diced
½ lb. asparagus, ends trimmed, and peeled, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (using part of the tender green part) OR one medium sweet yellow onion OR shallots
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (or just use more broth)
¼ cup finely chopped chives

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter, and add the prosciutto, and cook over low heat, until the prosciutto is crispy. Drain on paper towels, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the asparagus and leeks (or onions/shallots) on a sheet tray. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper over the vegetables, and toss to coat.
3. Roast the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, until the asparagus is crisp/tender.
4. Cool the vegetables. (You can refrigerate the vegetables for up to 2 days)
5. In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter, add flour and whisk until combined. Cook the roux for 3 minutes. Gradually add the broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add the cream and reserved vegetables. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), puree the soup until smooth. Garnish with chives and prosciutto before serving.

This soup was so creamy and I didn’t even put any cream in it! I can only imagine how decadent it would be with the cream. :)

One note: I did not add the chives as a garnish either. My soup was naked. :)

Last note: The recipe says it serves 8. There’s no way on my planet would this serve more than 3 max if accompanied by a salad or sandwich. If you were serving it by itself, I would say it serves 2.

Breakfast this morning was a toasted English muffin with Barney Butter almond butter and a side of cantaloupe:

I took the kids to school and made a trip to Costco.

I ate the rest of my delicious soup for lunch along with a turkey sandwich:

You really need to make the soup. It’s that good.

On the way to pick up the kids, I was craving something sweet so I had one of these:

Tonight is track practice for half marathon training. Need to eat something quick and get on outta here! Peace out.

Make the soup.

What is your favorite soup?

Do you like cream in your soups?

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