A Deliciously Tasty Crab Asparagus Soup Recipe
Nothing tastes better than a creamy and hearty soup. Crab meat gives a luxurious taste to this soup, and asparagus adds a nice fresh and earthy taste. How can you make a deliciously tasty crab asparagus soup at home? Read on to find out.
What Makes This Soup So Great
This soup combines convenience and taste. While this soup doesn’t take long to make, it will taste like a gourmet experience. This soup will be sure to keep you full and feeling happy.
Crab Asparagus Soup Recipe for You
This soup will take about an hour to make, so it’s pretty quick to throw together for a busy day. This recipe will serve 6 servings; however, if you want to serve more people, you can easily double or even triple the recipe. Even if you’re only serving a small group, you might want to make a big batch so that you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crab meat, cooked
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 Russet potatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup asparagus cut into ¼ inch pieces and trimmed
- 1 bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cups half and half
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Add the bell pepper. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, crab meat, asparagus, broth, yogurt, half and half, paprika, salt, and black pepper into the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the soup for about 35 minutes. You’ll know the soup is done when the soup is tender.
- Serve your soup right away and enjoy.
What Substitutions Can You Make?
I love to play with recipes and use ingredients that I either already have in my pantry or that I really love the taste of. Substitutions are a great way to customize a recipe for your personal tastes.
One of the biggest changes I’ve made is swapping out the meat in this soup. Vegetarians can enjoy this soup by adding tofu. I suggest marinating the tofu first so that it adds flavor to the soup. I usually use a crab seasoning so that it retains some of that crabby flavor without having any meat. Lentils are another good choice for adding protein to this soup for vegetarians, and they do add creaminess to the soup. Though, if you use lentils, you will want to make sure to cook the soup until the lentils are soft, which may take a little longer.
Some members of my family really aren’t fond of asparagus. That’s no problem. For those who aren’t big asparagus eaters, or when asparagus isn’t in season, I’ve played around with the kind of veggies I’ve used in this recipe. Broccoli is one veggie that has a lot of the same qualities as asparagus while being more friendly for picky eaters. Cabbage has been good in my experience too. You can also throw in additional veggies to meet nutritional needs. For example, if you need more Vitamin K, put some spinach in.
This soup is pretty neutral-tasting, which means that you can totally play around with the spices you use. You can spice this soup up by adding Cheyenne pepper and chili powder. Using Old Bay Seasoning also goes well with the crab in this recipe, so if you want that classic crab seasoning taste, you can definitely try about a teaspoon of Old Bay in your soup. I’ve also tried this with a little curry powder, for a warm, Eastern-inspired soup.
The possibilities for making this soup yours are endless. If you know what you like, you’ll get the best results.
How to Serve Crab and Asparagus Soup
This soup can either be a main dish or a starter. I love to make fresh French bread to have with this soup. Making bread can be a lot of work, though, so getting a loaf from a store or bakery will do just fine. I like this best with crispy bread. It also tastes great with garlic bread or breadsticks. If the bread doesn’t fit with your diet, this soup is great served with a side salad. A nut and berry salad is a perfect side salad for this soup.
Does This Soup Taste Good as Leftovers?
Yes. This soup is so good the next day. You may have to add a little broth when you reheat it because it can thicken a little in the fridge, but you should be good to eat this for around 4 days after you have made it, as long as you store the soup in airtight containers to prevent bacterial growth. You can also keep this in the fridge indefinitely, and it will keep fresh for about 4 months. After 4 months, it may start to lose some of its taste, but it will still be okay to eat.
Is Crab and Asparagus Soup Healthy?
There’s so much about this soup that can help keep you happy and healthy. Creamy and full of nutrients, this soup is both satiating and nutritious, which is key for maintaining weight and health.
Asparagus also has a lot of health benefits. According to Healthline, asparagus is good for you because it packs in a lot of nutrients while being relatively low on calories. It has a high fiber content, which fills you up and helps your digestion. Because it is full of antioxidants, asparagus is known to help with chronic inflammation and diseases like cancer thanks to high levels of vitamins E and C. Asparagus is also heart-healthy because it can help reduce your blood pressure.
Crab is known for its health benefits. Web MD says that crab is full of nutrition. Not only is crab packed with protein, but it also has nutrients like iron, niacin, zinc, selenium, folate, and B12. Its fatty acid content means that it also has healthy omega-3 nutrients. All these nutrients are good for chronic conditions and general health. For example, omega-3 fatty acids help your heart’s health and can even help you reduce your risk of dementia. Nutrients like B12 and folate help you resist anemic, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
You do have to be careful with how much crab you eat because crab will have some mercury in it. Fortunately, the crab has fewer crabs than some other types of fish and seafood. Thus, if you have a balanced diet, some crab can definitely be a nutritious part of your diet without doing you harm.
This soup is no doubt nutritious and is a great choice if you want to promote health.
