I’m a huge proponent of not wasting food. In fact, our family has a 3 percent food waste goal. In order to make that happen, we look at every bit of produce to try to use it all.
Although many people throw the ends away, nearly every bit of asparagus stalks are edible. You can even save the scraps of the asparagus ends to use in homemade vegetable broth.
This recipe is truly an example of using the “ends” to a “means”.
You can feed your family for, literally, pennies, utilizing an ingredient, which you may very well have thrown into the garbage bin.
To prepare asparagus, bend the stalk. It will naturally break at the tender part. Set the tops of the asparagus aside for use in other recipes. We will use just the ends for this recipe. You can use the asparagus tops for another recipe.
Asparagus Ends Soup is
- Economical
- Eco-friendly
- Smooth
- Delicious
- Attractive
- Flavorful
- Nutritious
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion – diced
- 1 cup water – enough to cover onions and asparagus
- 1 bunch asparagus ends – washed and chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley – fresh chopped
- 2-3 tsp salt-free seasoning blend (your choice)
- 2-3 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 large baking potato – diced
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 4 green onions – chopped (green parts reserved)
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Directions:
Heat medium sized pan. Add 4 Tbsp water to keep onion from sticking. Water saute onion until translucent. Add asparagus ends, parsley, garlic, salt free seasoning, and enough water to cover vegetables.
Simmer 12 minutes until asparagus is tender. Let cool slightly. Place in blender and blend on high until smooth.
To achieve a completely smooth consistency, put the mixture through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits. I generally don’t add his step and the finished texture has not been an issue. However, if your stems are quite thick and fibrous, you may want or need to add this step.
Return the pureed vegetable soup base to pan, adding 1 large, diced baking potato, vegetable stock, the diced white parts of the green onions, dill, and salt. Cook on low 15-20 minutes until the potato is tender. Add almond milk a little at a time until desired finished consistency is reached.
Taste and correct for seasonings. Serve garnished with reserved green onion tops and diced tomatoes.
Download a free PDF of this recipe here.
We are on the same frugal/no-waste path, although our family diets are different. We eat very close to the bottom of the food chain, but are neither completely vegetarian nor vegan. My own take on the asparagus ends is an ongoing process. When I can get asparagus cheaply, or grow it, I routinely add the ends to a bag that lives in the freezer with earlier asparagus “harvest”. When I have plenty, I slow cook or instant pot (better) the ends until they are very soft, then puree in batches (vitamix) and strain. It gives me an asparagus broth that is slightly thick.
I proceed pretty much as you do, but I add additional chopped asparagus stems (not ends) with the other soup ingredients, saving the tips of the stems separately. When the soup is ready, I puree the entire batch, season, and then add the tips back into the soup. I like that it gives the soup a bit more flair with the tips in the soup. Homemade croutons from leftover bread (which also lives in an ongoing freezer bag) top the soup.
Whenever we have asparagus as a separate veggie, I just add the ends to the growing bag in the freezer until we have enough–or it gets in the way. I will tell you that pureeing a crock pot full of asparagus ends one pint or so at a time, and straining it be sure to get rid of fibrous bits is a pain. That is when I wish my boys were still at home to take that on!
Thank you for all you do to promote a frugal plant-based lifestyle.
Hi, Mountainlife,
Thanks for your helpful comments. I agree. Although some of the cooking techniques can be a little time consuming when you are using the plant parts that most people throw out, it’s so worth it! As a family, we have a 3% food waste goal. We we really try to not throw anything out. You are also right. As my boys are growing up and moving out, I’m really missing their help on some of the household and cooking projects. On the other hand, I guess it’s a good thing that they had the opportunity to learn some of these things before moving out on their own.
Thank you for posting your menus and recipes it has been a big help in getting our grocery bill lower. I thought I was doing the best I could and eating wfpb was just expensive, but I have found that my recipe choices were more expensive and I needed to change my choices. Now that I have been chipping away at my grocery cost, I have a little extra for stocking up. It is nice that I am using pre inflation priced goods from my shelf as I search for sales to restock. The higher prices haven’t inpacted my budget much yet with this practice. I know it takes a lot of time on your part to post menus and recipes, but I do hope you continue. Thank you.
Thanks for your lovely comment. I’m glad to hear that the menu plans have been helpful. I don’t think I’ll do them every week after the challenge is over. But, I do enjoy posting them periodically.