Tender spring asparagus pieces are simmered up in a creamy dill-seasoned white bean base to make this hearty and flavorful vegan soup!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I’m self-employed. This is awesome for many, many reasons, not the least among them being the fact that I no longer need to keep a space heater in my office. Hooray for thermostat control! Things were rough in the past. If you work in an office you probably understand (or maybe you are one of those people who don’t understand, and prefer to crank the temperature dial down, in which case…grrrrr).
Space heaters were actually prohibited at my first job out of law school. It was torture. I would have to close my office door and bundle up. Multiple sweaters, fingerless gloves for typing…my mom even took pity on me and gifted me a big shawl, because it was kind of like a blanket, but socially acceptable to wear to work. The next job allowed space heaters and mine never shut off. It became a bit of an office joke, even though there’s nothing funny about staying toasty. Even the UPS guy made fun of me. Some people will never understand.
So, it’s no wonder I’m reluctant to give up soup when spring rolls around. I see nothing wrong with warming up my belly with a nice bowl of soup, even when the weather is relatively mild. Really though, who am I kidding? I’ll probably still be posting soup recipes in July. I promise though, that my soups will be seasonally appropriate and delicious. Like this one. You’ll want to try this, even if you don’t run cold like I do. It’s worth the few extra degrees.
Nothing says spring like some crispy green asparagus spears and dill. This soup is also super light and healthy, even though it tastes a lot richer than it really is. White beans are the perfect healthy ingredient for richening up the taste and texture of your food. This is one of those savory, creamy vegan dishes that I’d have guessed included some dairy had I not known better.
Creamy White Bean, Asparagus & Dill Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 14 ounce cans or 5 cups cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and chopped into 1-2" pieces
- 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in large stock pot or saucepan. Add onion and sauté until softened, about five minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for another minute, until very fragrant.
- Add vegetable broth and beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer about half of your soup to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You can blend a little more for extra creamy, a little less for extra chunky.
- Return the blended soup to the pot, bring back to simmer and add asparagus. Cook 2-3 minutes, until asparagus becomes bright green and tender-crisp.
- Add dill, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls.
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