Healthy Asparagus Soup (Vegan, Low-Lectin, Low-Histamine)

I can’t think of a more delicious, easier, and healthier way to add vegetables to your diet. This healthy asparagus soup recipe with fennel and broccoli is silky and creamy, but without any dairy, it’s low-histamine, light, and low-lectin.

It can be served warm or cold, and I have a feeling everyone will love it, even the picky eaters.

We don’t have soups very often in our home, but when we do, we make sure it is a really tasty and healthy one. A soup that can stand by itself as a complete meal or as the perfect side to our favorite protein.

I love the combination of fennel and asparagus, and adding another green vegetable, like broccoli or broccolini, makes this soup one of the healthiest and easiest meals anyone can have.

A healthy soup to include in a cleanse program

This is such a great soup to include in one of my favorite cleanse programs. When I put together the meal plan for the DIY 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, I didn’t include vegetable soups. Now I think this asparagus soup is the perfect meal to include in the plan if you would prefer a soup instead of any of those meals. It’s:

• vegan
• low-calorie
• low-lectin
• low-histamine
• nutrient-dense
• delicious
• creamy and soothing
• dairy-free
• nut-free

And for those of you on a histamine diet, you can include this cream of asparagus soup on your menu, as it’s low-histamine. Read more about histamine intolerance:

• My Experience with Histamine Intolerance. Diet and Everything Beyond
• Guide to Low Histamine Cooking and Food Preparation

White potatoes and lectins

The surprise ingredient here is the white potato. As you probably know, nightshade vegetables are not a staple in my diet and I only eat them occasionally and in small quantities, prepared the right way to reduce their lectin content (which can be inflammatory).

I wanted this soup to be silky and creamy, without using heavy cream or any dairy, and the white potato is the perfect addition for this purpose. Plus, they come with a healthy dose of potassium and other nutrients.

Pressure-cooking white potatoes

Luckily, there is a way to lower lectin content in white potatoes and decrease their glycemic index. Pressure cook them one day before you make the soup and store them in the refrigerator.

If you eat potatoes right after you cook them, they’ll act as a simple starch, the sugar will be easily absorbed and will spike your glucose levels. If you cool them first, the simple search will transform into resistant starch. You will only use 3 medium potatoes for this soup (1 heaping cup), so use the rest of the cold potatoes to make a potato salad.

If I have medium size, new potatoes, I usually pressure cook them for 3 to 4 minutes, whole, in the skin. For bigger, older potatoes, 6 minutes will do. But it’s better you follow the instructions on your pressure cooker since they all can be a little different.

Japanese sweet potatoes

If you are not ready for white potatoes, you can use Japanese sweet potatoes, those that have purple skin and white flesh, and you don’t have to cook them in advance; just cut them into small cubes and add them to the pot with the rest of the veggies.

They will make the soup sweeter, but you can balance out the sweetness with the lime juice.

The complete list of ingredients:

• Onion or shallots
• Fennel
• Celery
• Garlic
• Fresh asparagus
• Broccoli or broccolini
• Pressure-cooked and cooled white potatoes
• Spices and herbs: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, salt and pepper, fresh cilantro
• Lime zest and lime juice (make sure you use organic limes for zest)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh cilantro
• Sea salt flakes
• Water (you can use vegetable broth or stock instead but it’s not necessary for the taste)

More recently, I created a recipe for homemade bouillon cubes, and now I add them to everything, but they work particularly well with soups. They are easy to make and a great meal prep hack to help you cook more flavorful and nutritious food with less effort. Add one or two cubes to this soup to add more flavor.

How to make the creamy asparagus soup with fennel and broccoli

• Add extra virgin olive oil to a soup pot on medium heat.
• Add the onions, fennel, celery, 1/4 teaspoon salt, fennel, and cumin seeds and saute on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes (don’t brown them).
• Add the chopped asparagus (reserving some of the tips) and broccoli, garlic, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and toss well, and cook without liquid for five more minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the pre-cooked potatoes, and hot water, just to cover the vegetables, about 4 cups. Alternatively, you can use vegetable or chicken stock, but it’s not necessary.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender but not overcooked.
• Transfer to a blender and puree the soup until smooth and creamy. You can use an immersion blender, but I don’t think will produce the same creamy consistency as a high-power blender.
• Return to the pot on low heat. Add the reserved asparagus tips, simmer for a couple more minutes, adjust for salt and pepper, and add lemon zest and lemon juice.
• Serve with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

How to serve this asparagus soup

I love to drizzle this bright green soup with some extra virgin olive oil, a dash of lime, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper, and serve it with fresh cilantro.

I will have this soup alone or with a slice of lectin-free sourdough toast. Sometimes, we use it as an appetizer. For my husband, we will add some protein, like sausages, on the side.

There are so many ways to personalize it: add some crispy bacon on top, lectin-free croutons, grate some of your favorite cheese on top, you can even add some leftover chicken if you want a more consistent meal.

When we have leftover taco meat, we love to add it to this soup. It’s absolutely delicious!!

There are so many ways we include this healthy asparagus soup in our diet, but I’ll stop here for now.

I love this easy recipe. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we do.

More asparagus recipes

• Chicken and Tahini Salad with Chickpeas and Asparagus
• Asparagus and Chickpea Salad with Black Rice
• Creamy Casserole with Asparagus, Cauliflower Rice and Broccoli Slaw

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.

Print Recipe

Healthy Asparagus Soup (Vegan, Low-Lectin, Low-Histamine)

(6 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

Loading...

By Claudia Curici, Health Coach – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I can't think of a more delicious, easier, and healthier way to add vegetables to your diet. This healthy asparagus soup with fennel and broccoli is silky and creamy, but without any dairy, it's low-histamine, light, and low-lectin. It can be served warm or cold and I have a feeling everyone will love it, even the picky eaters.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion or 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bunch of asparagus (2 cups), chopped, tips reserved
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 3 cooked potatoes (pressure cooked and cooled in advance) or 1 heaping cup (can replace with cauliflower or sweet potato)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups hot water
• a handful of fresh cilantro for serving
• lime juice and zest
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper for serving

Instructions

1

Add extra virgin olive oil to a soup pot on medium heat.

2

Add the onions, fennel, celery, 1/4 teaspoon salt, fennel, and cumin seeds and saute on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes (don't brown them).

3

Add the chopped asparagus (reserving some of the tips) and broccoli, garlic, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and toss well, and cook without liquid for five more minutes, stirring frequently.

4

Add the cooked potatoes, and hot water, just to cover the vegetables, about 4 cups. Alternatively, you can use vegetable or chicken stock, but it's not necessary.

5

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender, but not overcooked.

6

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

7

Return to the pot on low heat. Add the reserved asparagus tips, simmer for a couple more minutes, adjust for salt and pepper, and add lime zest and lime juice.

8

Serve with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Notes

If you are using white potatoes, make sure you pressure cook them in advance and cool them in the fridge (do this one day in advance), read post for more details. If you don;t want to use white potatoes, you can use cauliflower for a low-carb version, or a white flesh sweet potato.