Creamy Asparagus Soup with Bacon (No Heavy Cream)

Packed with flavor, this Creamy Asparagus Soup with Bacon is the perfect way to enjoy spring produce. Tender asparagus blends into a silky soup with bacon, parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh lemon juice. No heavy cream is required unless, of course, you want it.

Asparagus Soup

This isn’t cream of asparagus soup y’all, but you’ll never know it thanks to this easy soup recipe’s silky and rich properties.

Outside of the asparagus, you probably have everything you need to make it already in your home.

This asparagus soup without cream makes four bowls, but I highly recommend doubling it to have more the next day.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

If you’ve never made Asparagus Soup and want to try one out, this is the one to try. Here’s why this Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe is awesome:

Tons of healthy greens
No heavy cream (you won’t miss it)
Just a touch of not-so-healthy bacon
Just a touch of so-so-healthy parmesan cheese
Easily adaptable for vegetarians

Silver pan with vegetables, broth and spices.

Common Recipe Variations

Asparagus Soup With Heavy Cream – Throw in a splash of heavy cream before blending if you adore the addition of cream. A dollop of sour cream will also go a long way.

Low-Sodium Asparagus Soup – To make a low-sodium version, use low- or no-sodium broth and omit the added salt.

Vegetarian Asparagus Soup – To make this vegetarian, omit the bacon and replace the broth with vegetable broth. You’ll also need to use vegetarian parmesan cheese.

Fresh Herbs – Garnish with fresh mint or basil for a fresh spring flavor.

Side Dish Ideas

My go-to side dish for soup is always garlic bread or biscuits. To bulk it up a bit, go ahead and serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich, Caesar salad, or even a light vegetable quiche. Of course, crispy croutons would be excellent as well.

Instructions

Cut off the tips of the asparagus spears and chop the stalk into 1/2" pieces. Keep the tips to use in another recipe.
Add the butter to a large stock pot over and pre-heat over medium heat.
Remove the peel from the garlic cloves and smash with a heavy knife. Add the smashed garlic to the pot along with the chopped onions. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until onions are soft.
Add the chopped asparagus, chicken broth, 4 slices of bacon bacon, chili powder, ground thyme, salt and black pepper to the pot and bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and tender.
Use an immersion blender or blender and blend until completely smooth. *Note 2
OPTIONAL- pass the pureed soup through a fine sieve to remove the fibers if you prefer.
Transfer the soup back to the stockpot and bring back to a simmer.
Add the lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Taste the soup and add additional salt, pepper, cheese or lemon juice if desired.
Divide the soup into 4 bowls and garnish with asparagus tips and 2 slices of crumbled bacon. *Note 1

Notes

Note 1 – 4 slices get blended into the soup while 2 slices are for garnish.
Note 2 – for safety reasons, allow the soup to cool before blending.

Nutrition