Cream of Asparagus and Mushroom Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon
• cup butter
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, tips set aside and stalks chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• cup half-and-half cream

Directions

Step 1: Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble bacon when cool and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in a small bowl and set the skillet aside.

Step 2: Melt butter with the reserved bacon drippings in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir the chopped celery and onion in the hot butter mixture until the onion becomes translucent, about 4 minutes.

Step 3: Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the diced potato and chopped asparagus (reserve the asparagus tips for later). Season with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Secure the lid with a folded kitchen towel and pulse a few times to get the soup moving before blending it until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot. Transfer the pured soup into a clean pot.

Step 5: In the same skillet used for the bacon, cook and stir the mushrooms and reserved asparagus tips until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if needed.

Step 6: Stir the sauted mushrooms, asparagus tips, and half-and-half cream into the pured soup. Cook until the soup is thoroughly heated.

Step 7: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon. Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 155
• Total Fat: 10g (13% DV)
• Saturated Fat: 6g (29% DV)
• Cholesterol: 27mg (9% DV)
• Sodium: 145mg (6% DV)
• Total Carbohydrate: 13g (5% DV)
• Dietary Fiber: 3g (9% DV)
• Total Sugars: 3g
• Protein: 5g (10% DV)
• Vitamin C: 11mg (12% DV)
• Calcium: 53mg (4% DV)
• Iron: 2mg (10% DV)
• Potassium: 428mg (9% DV)