Asparagus-Rice Soup with Sausage
This simple, rustic Asparagus-Rice Soup with Sausage brings together some of the best flavors we associate early spring: asparagus and lemon.
Asparagus-Rice Soup with Sausage
Photo Credit : Amy TraversoThis simple, rustic soup brings together some of the best flavors we associate early spring: asparagus and lemon. Pulling from the Italian playbook, we sprinkle the soup with Parmesan to enrich the broth and brighten it with some lemon zest. Meanwhile, sausage, rice, and potatoes add substance.
Yield:
6Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, diced
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 quarts (6 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup Arborio or other short-grain rice
2 bay leaves
1 bunch asparagus
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish: Freshly grated Parmesan and lemon zest
Instructions
Set a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and the sausage meat that you’ve removed from its casings. Cook the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break it up into smaller pieces, until it is no longer pink but not yet browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the potato and cook for five minutes, then add the chicken broth, rice, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Divide the soup among your serving bowls. Sprinkle each bowl generously with freshly grated Parmesan and a bit of lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Amy Traverso
Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.
More by Amy Traverso