Spring in a bite. This is the best asparagus soup you will ever have. It’s a perfect balance between a velvety sweetness accentuated by salty pancetta crumbs and a lemony ricotta cream.
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil, divided
- 2 whole Leeks, cleaned and chopped
- 1 clove cut garlic
- 3 bunches baby spinach
- 2 cups Vegetables soup
- ½ cups Ricotta Cheese
- 1 whole Lemon, juice
- ⅔ cups Cubed pancetta, cooked
Preparation
Cut the asparagus tips off the tips and sauté the tips in 1 tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt. Be sure not to overcook the tips as you want them to be crunchy so they add texture to the soup. Reserve and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, sauté the leeks and chopped asparagus tips in the remaining olive oil for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the baby spinach and sauté 1 or 2 more minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender (or you can use a hand blender) and blend until smooth.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta and lemon juice until smooth. You want it to have the consistency of diluted yogurt. If you need to dilute it further, add a little milk.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of ricotta cream, a few spears of asparagus and pancetta crumbs.
If you want to keep this soup vegetarian, omit the pancetta, and if you want the dish vegan, you can also omit the cream of ricotta.
