Typically, when I think of a creamy soup or see it on a menu, I know I’m in for a calorie laden dish, that I should only order occasionally if I want to watch my saturated fat intake, calories and “points” if I’m working the Weight Watcher plan. Who doesn’t love a rich, thick soup filled with shrimp and veggies? So, to create a yummy, creamy soup recipe that I could have any time, and one that was actually good for me, became the goal. That’s why I’m in love with this creamy corn, asparagus and shrimp soup.
My mission was to get that creamy texture without the heavy cream and butter, but also to get as much flavor as possible into one bowl. I think I accomplished that, and in the process, tried a new ingredient, nutritional yeast. More on that later. After searching high and low for ideas and methods to accomplish this, I wound up with this high protein, veggie packed soup that hit all the notes. My family liked it so much that it is on the menu as the starter for Thanksgiving this year. Yup, it is that good. BTW, if you are looking for a Thanksgiving Menu for Two or a Thanksgiving Menu for the whole crew, I’ve got you covered.
Before we get started on the recipe, let’s talk about the ingredients. I’ve used frozen corn since it is winter and fresh corn is hard to fine but if you have it, fresh corn would be great. I’d cut the kernels off the cob and through the cobs into my stock on the stove to infuse that corn flavor right into the broth. Talk about an added flavor punch! Chop your onions and jalapeno (if using), and mince your garlic. Depending on my mood and whether I’m serving kids, I’ll add the jalapeno for a little kick. Chop up your asparagus. I prefer the thin ones in this recipes since that are small and work well in a soup plus, they’ll work much better than the thick asparagus if you try them as soup shooters over the holidays. (see below)
Next, is the shrimp. I used medium shrimp and just cooked them in a pot of water seasoned with salt, pepper, a sliced lemon, a couple of bay leaves and some Old Bay Seasoning. Measuring isn’t important here. I’m just flavoring the water. You could throw in some chopped onion, carrots and celery if you have them too. I cook my shrimp for just a couple of minutes in the shells to get the most flavor. Then, rinse under cold water, chill and remove the shells, tails and devein the shrimp if you didn’t buy them already deveined. Two tips here: Buy shrimp deveined but with the shell on. That will save a ton of time. If really in a time crunch, buy your shrimp already cooked. Chop into small spoon sized pieces. I’ll leave a few whole for the top of the soup for presentation, but that is totally optional.
When it comes to stock or broth, I used vegetable stock but if you have shrimp stock or broth, that would be good too. Make it low sodium if watching your salt intake and just taste and adjust as you are making the soup. Note that I use the term stock and broth interchangeably in this recipe – both work.
There are two surprise ingredients in this recipe. The first is the use of non-fat cottage cheese instead of any heavy cream or half and half to make it creamy. With the cottage cheese craze taking over the internet, it is no wonder I’d try it. And, you know what? It works in this recipe. It gives the soup that thicker and creamier texture without adding any of that fat. My Weight Watcher buddies will love that (zero points). For those worried about texture, you are completely pulverizing that cottage cheese when you blend it, so you don’t even know it is in there. LOL And the taste is mild and creamy.
The second surprise ingredient is nutritional yeast.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Full disclosure, I had never worked with it before until this recipe. I had heard that it was used by vegetarians as a cheese substitute. (My WW leader, Jason, calls it a cheese adjacent product!) But, I had never tried it. Here’s the most frequently asked questions and answers about nutritional yeast.
To get started on the recipe, pull together all your ingredients and get them prepped and ready to cook. I find doing this before I start cooking makes cooking so much easier and more enjoyable. The French have a term for this, mise en place (pronounced “me-zohn plahs”). It translates to “everything in its place”. I really started doing this when I started the blog because I knew I had to photograph or videograph every step of the process. While I have always prepped all my food before doing a stir fry since the cook is so quick, I soon learned that prepping everything before I start cooking keeps me organized, forces me to read through an entire recipe before I cook to be sure I have everything and makes the whole cooking process so much more enjoyable.
I was no longer frantically looking for an ingredient or chopping at the last minute, or worrying something was going to be over cooked, etc. Getting everything ready ahead of time, brought make a lot of the pleasure of cooking for me. Hope the tip helps you.
Chop your veggies, measure your ingredients and get ready to cook.
Add the oil to a large Dutch oven or pot. Add the chopped green onion and cook for a couple of minutes to soften. Add the garlic and jalapeno (if using) and saute another minute. Add the corn and stock and let everything cook for about 10 minutes. Don’t boil, just simmer.
Take the pot off the heat and using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth. NOTE: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can ladle the hot soup into a blender in batches and blend that way. Never fill more than half way (the heat will expand the liquid) and hold a towel over the lid on the blender to be safe. Pour everything back into the pot when completely blended.
Add in the finely chopped asparagus. Note: I like the thin asparagus for this recipe, rather than the thick ones. They cook faster. Cook for about two minutes then add in the cooked shrimp and let heat through for another minute. Add the chopped tarragon and stir into the mix. Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Spoon into bowls or these cute pumpkin cocottes and sprinkle with the chopped green onion tops. Grind some fresh black pepper over the top and enjoy! If you like the recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating below.
BONUS: I served these in little shooter cups as an appetizer at a recent party and plan on doing it again for the holidays. Just chop the asparagus and green onion very thin, and chop the shrimp smaller too. You could hang one small shrimp over the edge of the cup as a nice garnish too. I think that would look great. You’ll get about 40 – 50 soup shooters out of this recipe. A nice idea for the holidays. Welcome your guests with a warm cup of soup!
Looking for other holiday soup recipe ideas? I have several that I like to serve on special occasions. (You know, a cold Weds. or Thanksgiving…LOL) Check these out:
Cream of Mushroom Soup En Croute
Creamy Corn, Asparagus and Shrimp Soup
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Bunch Green onion, chopped and divided
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Lb. Frozen corn
- 3 ½ Cups Vegetable or Shrimp stock/broth
- ½ Cup Fat-free cottage cheese
- 3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ Cups thinly sliced asparagus, touch ends cut off and discarded
- 1 Lb. Medium shrimp, cooked and deveined and shells discarded
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon leaves, finely chopped
- Fresh ground black pepper
- ½ Jalapeno, finely minced (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the green onions. Slice the dark green part and put in a bowl to use as a garnish at the end. Cut off the root ends and discard. Cut the remaining white and light green onion into a rough chop. Put to the side.
- Prep your garlic. Finely mince the garlic cloves. If using the jalapeno, finely mince it.
- To get started, add the oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the white and light green chopped onion and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno if using and cook another minute stirring a couple of times. Add the stock/broth and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add the cottage cheese and yeast and continue blending until really smooth. Taste. If it needs salt, add a large pinch and blend to combine.
- Prep your asparagus. Remove the tough ends and discard. Chop your asparagus very thin. Chop your cooked shrimp into bite size pieces.
- Put the soup back on the heat to completely warm through. Add the chopped asparagus and stir into the soup. Let the veggies cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes until the shrimp are heated through.
- Add the tarragon and stir into the soup. Ladle into soup bowl and sprinkle with the chopped dark green part of the onions. Grind some fresh black pepper on top and enjoy!
