Creamy Asparagus Soup

So, since the weather in Utah decided to go all ape crazy on our roadways, I decided it's best for us to just stay inside and stay cozy. I love days like this - thankfully we didn't have anything planned anyways. We just get to watch movies, read books, do puzzles, make a batch of cinnamon rolls, and call it a good old day of relaxation. 

The best thing to do with a day like this is a giant pot of soup simmering away on the stove top. Even though there's snow outside, we still have a little springtime in our hearts, so I decided to make a soup using one of Spring's star ingredients - that beautiful veggie asparagus! 

Ryan HATES asparagus. He'll always eat it to be polite if we're with family, or at a restaurant, but he really doesn't like it. So I thought I was being a psycho maniac by throwing in 2 lbs of it into our soup for dinnertime. I decided to tell him what I was up to, and I could tell there was a huge mental eye-roll going on inside that lovely head of his.

I teased him with the bacon toppings on the soup before him at the dinner table, and had a giant pile of a new drop biscuit that I can't wait to share with you guys! He took his first spoonful. Smiled, and genuinely said "WHY IS THIS SO GOOD? IT'S ASPARAGUS??" Yup, dude. It is. Cooking it up in bacon fat, stirring in some cream, topping it off with some crumbled bacon, and setting it alongside a bowl of drop biscuits really got him on the asparagus train. He ate the whole bowl, and took some for lunch the next day, too. Good man, he is.

So the next time you're at the grocery store, grab some asparagus, toss in a pack of bacon, a cozy, savory dinner will be ready in no time. Enjoy! xoxo

Creamy Asparagus Soup

makes 4 servings

ingredients:

2 lbs asparagus, chopped, woody ends discarded

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small diced sweet yellow onion (about 1/2 C chopped onion)

2 T bacon fat

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t pepper

6 C chicken stock

1/2 C heavy cream

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled 

method:

1. In a large soup pot, saute onion in bacon fat until translucent. Toss in garlic, salt, pepper, and asparagus and saute until asparagus is slightly cooked through. Turn heat down so garlic doesn't get too toasty. 

2. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a light boil. Place lid on pot, simmer covered for 25 minutes until asparagus is soft. 

3. With an immersion blender, puree soup mixture until completely soft and there are no lumps. Slowly pour in cream, then stir until blended throughout. Taste, then add more salt/seasonings to your taste. Serve with crispy pieces of bacon crumbled on top, and garlic bread. 

recipe source: Baking with Blondie