SUPER FAST CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

DOTTIE'S SUPER FAST CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP
15 ounce can asparagus, reserve liquid
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, about
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream *
1 tablespoon fresh parsley *
Salt, to taste

Add broth to the liquid from the can of asparagus to make 2 cups. If whole, chop the asparagus roughly. Put the asparagus, liquid from the can and the broth in a medium pot. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the seasonings and bring to a boil; turn down the heat. Add the cream and parsley and just heat through. Add salt, if needed. I didn't need to add any to mine.

Makes 2 large servings

* Dottie used 1/2 cup half and half instead of cream and 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley instead of fresh.

With 1/4 cup heavy cream:
Per Serving: 157 Calories; 13g Fat; 7g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

With 1/2 cup half & half:
Per Serving: 134 Calories; 9g Fat; 8g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

My 15 ounce can of asparagus came out to exactly 8 ounces drained and the counts reflect that. I was surprised that the asparagus tasted quite good and not much different than fresh. The texture was pretty mushy though but that didn't matter in this recipe. Dottie put 1/2 cup of half and half in her soup but I only used 1/4 cup of heavy cream in mine. I'm glad that I used less because the asparagus flavor was very mild as it was. This still made two huge bowls of soup even with less cream. One thing I'd do differently next time is leave out the marjoram. I'm not terribly fond of it. I added some chopped smoked sausage to my soup to make it a meal. The sausage is not included in the nutritional counts.

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