CHEESY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Cheesy Asparagus Soup image

This is one of our favorites. It's quick to make and freezes well. Add cooked asparagus tips as garnish.

Provided by folsomfats

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes

Time 53m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock, divided
1 ½ pounds asparagus, trimmed and chopped
¼ cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half, or more to taste
1 pound processed American cheese (such as Velveeta®), cubed
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

Bring 4 cups chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Add asparagus and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain asparagus, reserving the stock. Set a few asparagus tips aside for garnish.
Heat butter and olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes more.
Stir flour into onion mixture until combined, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups chicken stock; cook and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes more. Add cooked asparagus stalks and remaining reserved asparagus-chicken stock; bring soup to a boil.
Heat half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat until warmed slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add warmed half-and-half to soup, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
Pour soup into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth. Return pureed soup to stockpot. Add American cheese and stir until melted; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with asparagus tips.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 483.7 calories, Carbohydrate 21.8 g, Cholesterol 96.5 mg, Fat 36.7 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 19.5 g, SaturatedFat 19.9 g, Sodium 1760.1 mg, Sugar 9.5 g