Creamy Asparagus Soup

When you see the dreamy green color of this soup, you might be instantly transported back to Grandma's kitchen, a big pot of pea soup burbling on the stove. But in this little green number, peas are nowhere to be found. The real star of this vibrant green soup is one of our favorite spring vegetables: asparagus.

This Creamy Asparagus Soup is as straightforward as cooking down a bunch of staple ingredients—such as leeks, potatoes, and asparagus—and pureeing them all together with an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender). Potatoes bring body to this soup, while parsley deepens the already-gorgeous color that this soup gains from the asparagus. The secret ingredient that brings real vibrance and zing to this soup? Orange juice. This unexpected twist gives the cream of asparagus soup a splash of brightness.

This soup can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock and omitting the bacon garnish. Be sure to save the asparagus tips to garnish this soup, along with a pretty swirl of heavy cream and, if you're feeling indulgent, crumbled bacon.