Green-as-Spring Soup | Everyday Dorie

If you ever doubt that an all-vegetable soup can be flavorful, this green-as-spring soup is a solid proof that it can be done. Meanwhile, which vegetable most represents the essence of spring than asparagus? Here a whole pound of asparagus forms the base of the soup. If you like asparagus, this soup is certainly for you.

Like most soups, start by cooking the aromatics. That include two large leeks, two shallots and two garlic cloves. Stir together with some olive oil, butter and salt, until softened — about 15 minutes. Next, add five cups of vegetable broth. Toss in the asparagus, one zucchini and sprigs of fresh basil, which give the soup the distinct green color. Then bring everything to a boil. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes. You’re done!

I make a similar potato leek chowder on a regular basis. It’s one of our favorite soups. We like it a lot because it’s rich and creamy, and a pleasure to eat. In fact, the richness and creaminess of the potato leek chowder mostly come from, well — potatoes and cream. I’m bringing it up because the green-as-spring soup gets its richness quite differently.

I puree the soup with a handheld immersion blender right in the pot. The process is much easier than transferring the hot soup into a food processor or blender. It doesn’t take long before all the liquid turns into a visibly velvety and creamy soup. Clearly, the green-as-spring soup is not only flavorful and rich, but healthful — without the use of any starch or cream. None. A huge plus on its own as a low-fat, dairy-free and no-gluten all-vegetable soup.