Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons & Prosciutto Crisps Recipe (+ Vegan Version)

Make some easy & delicious asparagus soup!

I heart soup!  It’s one of my favorite things to cook and eat.  For me, soup is a meal.  In fact, it’s the perfect meal to bring you back to the realm of normal eating after the Easter feasting!  When we have soup for dinner, invariably, my husband and I will start quoting Seinfeld episodes while the kids roll their eyes and make fun of our “ancient” TV shows.  There’s The Soup Nazi episode’s “No Soup for you!”  and this restaurant scene from “The Soup” episode 93, 1994, where Jerry is buying his “friend” Bania dinner to thank him for giving him an Armani suit.

Jerry: I’ll have the salmon.

Waiter: And you?

Bania: Ahh, you know what I think. I’m just going to have soup. Yeah, I’ll save the meal for another time.

Jerry: Another time? What other time?

Bania: I had a hot dog earlier. I’m not that hungry.

Jerry: No, no, Bania, no. This is the dinner. The soup counts.

Bania: Soup’s not a meal. You’re supposed to buy me a meal.

Jerry: I’m not stopping you from eating. Go ahead and eat. Get anything you want.

Bania: I don’t want anything but soup.

Jerry: Then that’s the meal.

http://www.seinfeldscripts.com

This Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons & Prosciutto Crisps will definitely count as a meal!  It’s smooth & creamy with crunchy croutons and salty prosciutto crisps.  I have also included a Vegan version of the soup that uses coconut milk instead of buttermilk along with a few other tweaks.

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons & Prosciutto Crisps

Fire up your oven to 400 degees F. and roast your asparagus, shallots, prosciutto and croutons.  Before & after roasting photos.

Chop the roasted asparagus and combine in a saucepan with the roasted shallots and some chicken broth.  Heat to a simmer.  Puree in the blender.  Return to pan and stir in a little buttermilk.

Serve topped with croutons and crumbled prosciutto crisps.  YUM!

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons & Prosciutto Crisps Recipe (+ Vegan Version)

Delicious smooth soup made with roasted asparagus gets topped with homemade pumpernickel croutons and prosciutto crisps! It's delicious! Directions included for a vegan version.

Tina Verrelli - epicuricloud.com

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Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Soup:

• 1 cup shallots peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 bunches asparagus woody end trimmed (approx. 2 pounds / 36 stalks)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk milk

Croutons:

• 4 cups pumpernickel bread cubed 3/4"
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Prosciutto Crisps:

• 6-8 slices prosciutto paper thin

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• You will need 3 large baking sheets/roasting pans if you want to cook everything at once.  Otherwise you can rotate your pans/roasting.
• Place your asparagus and shallots on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• Gently toss them around to coat and arrange in a single layer.
• Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. (My asparagus were fairly thick, so you may need to adjust the time depending on the thickness of your asparagus.)
• Place your bread cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• Gently toss them around to coat and arrange in a single layer.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until they are crunchy.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Lay prosciutto slices on parchment paper so they don't overlap.
• Roast for 9-10 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.
• Roughly chop the roasted asparagus and add to a saucepan (2-quart or larger).
• Add chicken broth and bring to simmer.
• Puree soup in blender in about 3-4 batches (don't overfill your blender - and hold the lid in place with a kitchen towel - hot liquids get a little excited in the blender and can pop the lid off easily).
• Return to pan, add buttermilk and bring to just below a simmer. Serve with croutons and crumbled prosciutto crisps.

Notes

The vegan version follows the same process except you reserve a few roasted asparagus tips for the garnish.  Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, unsweetened coconut milk instead of buttermilk, skip the prosciutto crisps and garnish with a few reserved roasted asparagus tips.  MMM!

You can line the baking trays with parchment paper to cut down on clean up.

 

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THANKS FOR SPENDING SOME TIME IN THE CLOUD WITH ME!  I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RECIPES!  TINA ( :