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.
2bunchesasparaguswoody end trimmed (approx. 2 pounds / 36 stalks)
2tablespoonsolive oil
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground pepper
2 (14.5 ounce)canslow-sodium chicken broth
1cuplowfat buttermilk milk
Croutons:
4cupspumpernickel breadcubed 3/4"
2tablespoonsolive oil
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground pepper
Prosciutto Crisps:
6-8slicesprosciuttopaper 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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