Asparagus Soup

When I think of comfort food, soup often comes to mind. It's warm, hearty, and kind of the food equivalent of a big ol' hug! But unlike most comfort foods, it can actually be super healthy! This soup was inspired by the traditional Cream of Asparagus soup, which I LOVE. But I wanted to try and get a similar flavor without all the downsides that comes from using heavy cream... Here's what I came up with...

What you're going to need for a pretty big batch:

• 2 bunches of asparagus
• 1 small onion (or half of a large one)
• 1 russet potato
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 1 individual pack of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• Sunflower seeds for garnish (or whatever you've got!)

Dice up your onion...

And toss it into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt...

Let the onions get nice and soft, before moving on to your potato. Peel and chop it up into bite-sized cubes...

Finely dice your two garlic cloves and toss them in. Give it all a good stir...

And throw in the potatoes!

Add in the chicken stock and bring it all to a boil...

After it starts to boil, turn down to a simmer and cover...

Now move over to the star of the show... Cut off all the woody bottoms of the asparagus stalks and then give them all a good chop...

Add the asparagus to the simmering soup, stir, and cover. Leave it simmering for about 20-30 minutes until all the veggies are soft...

After everything is softened, time to make soup! I used an immersion blender, which I LOVE. They keep everything in one pot and are SO handy! Highly recommend. But you could always use a blender. Just remember - be careful! Blend in batches and don't fill liquid to the top; the steam from the hot soup can actually blow the top off, so maybe let it cool for a few minutes first.

Blend however long you like! I like to keep a little texture in mine...

Here's where you get to be a little creative... Squeeze some lemon juice into the soup to brighten it up and add in some of the yogurt for some "rich" thickness, as for how much - up to you! I used the whole yogurt cup and the juice of half a lemon. If you're serving guests, I recommend serving with lemon wedges and letting them do it. Don't forget to taste for salt and pepper!

There you go! All the comfort and none of the guilt! I garnished with some roasted, salted sunflower seeds for some crunch. But if you're really feeling the yolo vibes, just throw in some croutons! You're only eating veggies, after all!

xo,
The Ging Twins