Cream of Asparagus and Mushroom Soup
Description
This cream of asparagus soup with mushroom, bacon, onion, potato, and celery has mouthwatering savory flavors perfect for a starter course.
Ingredients
•
3 slices bacon
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1/4 cup butter
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3 stalks celery, chopped
•
1 onion, diced
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3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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6 cups chicken broth
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1 potato, peeled and diced
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1 pound fresh asparagus, tips set aside and stalks chopped
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salt and ground black pepper to taste
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1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
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3/4 cup half-and-half cream
Directions
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; set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in a small bowl. Set aside the skillet.
2
Melt butter with drippings in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3
Cook and stir celery and onion in hot butter-drippings until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add potato and asparagus, reserving asparagus tips for later. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 20 minutes.
4
Pour soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Holding down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get soup moving before leaving it on to purée. Purée in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and purée soup right in the cooking pot.
5
Cook and stir mushrooms and asparagus tips in the same skillet used for bacon until mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper, if needed.
6
Stir mushrooms, asparagus tips, and half-and-half cream into puréed soup. Cook until thoroughly heated.
7
Portion soup into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon.