Instant Pot Cream of Asparagus Soup

Cream of Asparagus Soup is a classic spring favorite. 

Asparagus is one of my all time favorite vegetables! There’s something so refreshing about it. The color is vibrant, it cooks up super fast and it’s simply delicious any way you prepare it. 

This beautiful vegetable has a such a short season though … maybe that’s what makes it so special. It’s only available in the spring. 

I can’t get enough of asparagus once spring arrives in Northern California. I love to sauté it by itself, roast it with parmesan, sauté it with fennel, put it into crustless spring quiche, add it to sweet and tangy chicken “take-out”, shave it into salads, and of course, enjoy it in soup. 

Spring is not complete without Cream of Asparagus Soup.  

This traditional spring soup is simple, fresh, creamy and highlights the asparagus flavor. It’s super easy to make too! 

My favorite way to make this soup is in my beloved Instant Pot. I love the Instant Pot so much! It’s a game changer for making fast, real food. Once the pressure builds in the pot, this soup only takes 5 minutes to make! I even sauté the onions and garlic in the Instant Pot first {I love the sauté feature}. How cool is that? 

So next time you’re at the farmers market or local store, grab a few bundles of fresh asparagus, make some soup and enjoy the taste of spring. 
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You Will Need: Cutting Board, Instant Pot, Blender or Immersion Blender
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Ingredients:​

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus, woody ends removed + cut into 1″ pieces 
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped
• 3 tablespoons ghee, grass-fed butter or healthy fat of choice 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 5 cups homemade bone broth or store-bought bone broth
• Zest + juice of organic lemon 
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, to taste 
• 8 ounces organic sour cream* {I use Nancy’s}

Instructions:

1. Prep asparagus, onion and garlic. Remove all woody ends from asparagus stalks and discard. Chop asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Slice onion in half and do a rough chop of the onion. Smash garlic cloves or do a rough chop. Set aside.
2. Place the stainless steel bowl in the Instant Pot without the lid on. Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add healthy fat of choice. As soon as the butter/ghee/healthy fat is melted, add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, just until onions and garlic are fragrant and starting to caramelize. 
3. Add dried thyme, stir and cook for 1 minute. 
4. Add broth. Use a wooden spoon to help scrape up any caramelization at the bottom of the pan. 
5. Add asparagus, lemon zest, lemon juice and sea salt.
6. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot. Place Instant Pot lid on top, secure it into the locked position. Make sure the valve on the top is in the sealed position. 
7. Press “Manual” {on HIGH pressure} and then the “-” until you get to 5 minutes. Walk away, the Instant Pot will take several minutes to build pressure. You will notice 5 {and counting down} on the screen once it starts cooking. 
8. When timer sounds, turn Instant Pot off by pressing the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and unplug the Instant Pot. Allow to naturally pressure release for a few minutes then using an oven mitt, turn the valve to release the pressure {it will release hot steam, use caution not to touch the steam}.
9. Puree soup in small batches in a blender until smooth {or use an immersion blender instead}. Add sour cream during one of the blending batches. Transfer pureed soup to a stockpot, large bowl or back into the Instant Pot bowl, reheat if necessary. 
10. Season to taste and serve hot topped with extra sour cream, lemon juice, or extra virgin olive oil.
    

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Notes: 

• To make the recipe dairy free, you can omit the sour cream. You could also add full fat coconut milk or plain coconut milk yogurt instead, but note this will change the flavor a bit. Instead of butter or ghee, I recommend using avocado oil or bacon fat.   
• Store up to two days in the refrigerator. 

Recipe by Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, founder and author of Recipes to Nourish.