ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH BRIE BRUSCHETTA

Asparagus Soup with Brie Bruschetta image

Creamy and delicious describe this fresh asparagus soup blended with Progresso® chicken broth. Serve with crusty bread slices topped and broiled with buttery brie for a delightful meal.

Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories Entree

Time 45m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 carton (32 oz) Progresso™ reduced sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 cups loosely packed spinach
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
1 cup heavy whipping cream or buttermilk (if using buttermilk, cut the lemon peel in half)
1/2 teaspoon gray sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Progresso™ Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Grated peel of 1 medium orange
1 loaf crusty French or Italian bread, sliced
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1b Brie cheese, sliced

Steps:

Snap off ends from asparagus and peel any tough skin from the stalks; set aside.
In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic to oil and butter; cook until light brown. Add onion and celery; reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, make the gremolata. In 8-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs to butter; cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently; transfer to small bowl. Stir in the parsley and orange peel; set aside.
In saucepan, add asparagus, broth and thyme to vegetable mixture. Heat to boiling; cook about 3 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Stir in spinach and lemon peel (the spinach will wilt in the soup). Pour soup into blender in small batches; cover and puree each batch until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Return soup to saucepan and heat over low heat until hot. Stir in the whipping cream, salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle soup with 1 teaspoon gremolata. Pass the remaining gremolata at the table.
Set oven control to broil. To make bruschetta, butter bread slices on both sides and top each with several slices of brie (2 to 3 oz per bread slice). Broil with tops about 5 inches from heat until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 880, Carbohydrate 60 g, Cholesterol 165 mg, Fat 7, Fiber 5 g, Protein 31 g, SaturatedFat 32 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 1780 mg, Sugar 12 g, TransFat 2 g