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Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto in bowl with spoon.
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5 from 1 vote

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

Vegetarian (if modified)
Total Time35 minutes
Servings: 3
Author: Alex Snodgrass

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced-small yellow onion ½ onion
  • 1 cup sliced green onion 4 green onions
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup Crème fraîche, sub-Greek yogurt, plus more for serving (if desired)

For Serving:

  • 4 slices prosciutto, optional for serving
  • freshly chopped chives

Instructions

Make the Soup Base:

  • Heat the butter or olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Add the yellow onion, green onion, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
  • Add the asparagus and continue to cook, stirring, until the asparagus begins to soften, about 4 more minutes.
  • Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the soup is at a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, simmering, until the asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Crisp the Prosciutto (if using):

  • Place the prosciutto on a wire rack lined baking sheet in a single layer. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and turn the oven onto ‘broil’ (or as high of a temperature as it will go). Cook until the prosciutto is crisp, watching very carefully so it doesn’t burn. 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven to set aside, and allow it to continue to crisp.

Blend the Soup:

  • Once the asparagus is tender, transfer the soup to a high-powered blender. Add the creme fraiche and blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can blend this in the pot with an immersion blender but I prefer a high-powered blender! Transfer the creamy soup back to the pot and keep on low heat. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.

Serve:

  • Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche and plenty of chives. Take one of the prosciutto crisps and crush it into small bits over the soup. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.