An Asparagus Recipe That Does Double Duty!
Yesterday our in-season foodie expert Linda LaRue shared the amazingness that is asparagus. And today, as promised, she has a fantastic asparagus recipe that does double-duty! It’s a side…it’s a soup!
This recipe doubles as both roasted asparagus and roasted asparagus soup. I typically increase the recipe below by 50 to 100 percent so that I’ll have roasted asparagus to serve as a veggie side dish, and then use the rest to make my soup recipe below. For this asparagus recipe (which is a reprint from my book the SOUPer Slim Diet that is available now for a limited time at 50 percent off!), I recommend using a good quality Parmesan cheese such as aged Italian Parmigiano Reggianno. This asparagus recipe will store well in the fridge for up to one week and can be made vegan and Kosher if the cheese is omitted.
Roasted Asparagus with Grated Parmesan Recipe
Yields: 10 servings
Serving size: 1 cup
Ingredients
2½ pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large—you may substitute frozen asparagus)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ c good-quality Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4¼ c water or low-sodium, non-fat chicken or vegetable broth
2 thoroughly washed medium leeks or 1 medium onion, chopped
2 c watercress (may substitute 1 c arugula or dark-green baby lettuce), chopped
¼ c flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut asparagus stalks to remove the fibrous ends. You can do this by holding a stalk and gently breaking it. It will break naturally where the stalk is no longer tough. If the stalks are thick, peel the bottom half of each. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Take asparagus out of oven and let cool for a few minutes, then dice.
4. Meanwhile, slice white ends of leek (or dice onion) and sauté in olive oil until light golden brown.
5. Place hot asparagus, water or broth, watercress, parsley, and sautéed leek (or onion), in a blender or food processor. Puree to your desired consistency or puree in a large bowl with a hand blender. Serve!
Nutritional Facts: 64 calories, 2 g fat, 4 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 161 mg sodium.
What’s your favorite asparagus recipe? Do you have a favorite way to enjoy this in-season and healthy food? —Linda