This simple Curried Asparagus Soup doesn’t have a long list of ingredients and it doesn’t cook on the stovetop for an hour, but it packs in a surprising amount of flavor for an unassuming bowl of soup. Cashews add a little protein and creaminess without using dairy and lemon juice squeezed into the soup just before serving gives it a bright, fresh flavor.
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw cashew pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder
- 2 pounds asparagus trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Before you begin the rest of the prep work, place the cashews in a small bowl and cover them with very hot water. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it has softened, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Add the asparagus and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered until the asparagus has softened, about 15 minutes. Allow soup to cool slightly.
- Rinse the cashews and put them in a blender with a ladle or two of the soup. Blend until completely smooth. Add the remaining soup to the blender (you may have to do this in batches) and puree until smooth and creamy; return to the Dutch oven and heat on medium until warmed through, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
If you have time, you can soak the cashews in cold water for 3-6 hours before using them.
Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks!
19 Comments
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh
April 10, 2014 at 9:04 amI’m going to look for hamster socks in Japantown in a few weeks now. 🙂
I bet grilling the asparagus would give a great taste to this too. See…obsessed with grilling asparagus.
Kiersten Frase
April 10, 2014 at 3:23 pmEveryone needs a pair of hamster socks. Or several. (I might have several.)
JulieD
April 10, 2014 at 11:29 amLove this soup…super simple and pretty much anything curried I love!
dishing up the dirt
April 10, 2014 at 12:03 pmI love asparagus soup in the springtime! I haven’t ever thought to add a curry twist to it. Yum!
Kiersten Frase
April 10, 2014 at 3:22 pmThe first time I made this, I wasn’t totally sure if asparagus would work with curry powder, but it does! 🙂
[email protected] Beard and Bonnet
April 10, 2014 at 1:00 pmI adore Winnie and am so excited to see you review her book! I am definitely going to have to make this soup!!
Katie @ Produce on Parade
April 10, 2014 at 1:04 pmWhat a lovely, perfectly spring-like soup! Asparagus has been on my mind! 🙂
Winnie
April 10, 2014 at 1:41 pmI love the idea of this soup and thank you bunches for the kind words about my book. xoxo
Kiersten Frase
April 10, 2014 at 3:21 pmOf course! Thanks again for sending it my way. 🙂 It’s a great read!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl
April 10, 2014 at 1:41 pmI have been so excited that asparagus is back in season…so, naturally, I get SUPER excited whenever I see a new recipe that uses it! This sounds fantastic 🙂
Kiersten Frase
April 10, 2014 at 3:20 pmYes, I have been loving all of the asparagus recipes on food blogs lately too! 🙂
Grace @ Earthy Feast
April 10, 2014 at 3:44 pmBeautiful springtime soup! Oh and actually thinking about what your eating instead of rushing off to the next thing is something I really need to work on.
Kiersten Frase
April 13, 2014 at 8:25 pmUsually I’m reading or responding to emails or doing something else to occupy my mind when I eat. I start getting twitchy if I’m not multi-tasking. 🙂
Joanne
April 11, 2014 at 6:54 amWinnie is so great and I love her attitude towards life! I am definitely guilty of overcomplicating things (and recipes) in my life, when really simple food like this soup can really be the best!
Kiersten Frase
April 13, 2014 at 8:23 pmI am guilty over overcomplicating just about everything in my life. 🙂 It’s not the best habit to have!
Peri's Spice Ladle
April 16, 2014 at 1:24 pmAsparagus soup is delicious…but add a touch of curry and you’ve got magic! Great idea and a must try…
that guy
June 11, 2016 at 3:29 pmTwo things: First, this sounds delicious. Second, and this is a very juvenile thing that I have to say: I want to eat this just to find out what it makes my pee smell like – Come on, curry AND asparagus? What happens? Do the smells cancel each other out, or are they compounded into some completely new, outrageous biological smell that will become instantly familiar to anyone who makes a habit of eating curried asparagus? Science demands that I find out.
Pauline West
December 17, 2017 at 12:23 pmThis stuff-! Oh my goodness, it is fantastic. We made it yesterday and I’ve already shared the recipe with three people- absolutely fantastic, and so nourishing. Still amazed at how delicious it is, and without anything sinful in it… usually the best soups have a bit of cream, but the cashews here are a delightful substitute. Thank you so much!
Katie Trant
December 19, 2017 at 7:41 amGlad you enjoyed this soup as much as we do, Pauline!