Grilled Asparagus Soup with Chili Croutons

Grilled Asparagus Soup with Chili Croutons
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Grill Time:
4 mins
Total Time:
29 mins
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup butter, melted

  • 1 ½ - 2 tablespoon Asian chili sauce (Sriracha sauce)

  • 1 small baguette, sliced diagonally

  • 2 pound green, white, and/or purple asparagus, trimmed

  • 2 tablespoon butter

  • cup finely chopped onion (1 small)

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • 2 14.5 ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

  • ½ cup milk

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • Olive oil (optional)

Directions

  1. For chili croutons, in a large bowl stir together the 1/4 cup melted butter and chili sauce; brush one side of each baguette slice with some of the butter mixture. For a charcoal or gas grill, grill bread over medium heat about 2 minutes or until toasted and crisp, turning once. Set croutons aside.

  2. Add asparagus to the remaining butter mixture; toss to coat. Grill asparagus over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender, turning once. Remove from grill.

  3. Set aside one-fourth of the spears. Slice the remaining spears 1/2 inch thick; set aside.

  4. For soup, in a large saucepan melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook onion in the hot butter about 5 minutes or until tender. Add salt. Sprinkle flour over onions; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the coriander. Slowly whisk in chicken broth. Add sliced asparagus. Bring soup to simmering. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

  5. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender, in batches if necessary. Cover and process or blend soup until smooth. Return pureed soup to saucepan. Stir in milk and heat through. Cut the reserved asparagus spears into 2-inch lengths. Add asparagus pieces and lemon juice to soup. Ladle soup into bowls. If desired, drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with chili croutons.

Tip:

No time to grill? Toast baguette slices under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes each side. To quickly blanch the asparagus, place spears in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Cover with about 2 cups of boiling salted water. Let stand for 10 to 12 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain. Continue with Step 3.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

310 Calories
13g Fat
38g Carbs
11g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 310
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Sodium 1029mg 45%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 10mg 50%
Calcium 90.9mg 7%
Iron 4.9mg 27%
Potassium 384mg 8%
Folate, total 145.1mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.2mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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