This post is sponsored by ALDI. Visit the store nearest you to experience the difference of ALDI! The girls helped me prepare today’s recipe; I’m always searching for ways to let them help in the kitchen without causing too much havoc. They’re always so eager to be with me, rather than playing off by themselves, and for that, I’m thankful. Although, sometimes it’s easier to turn on their favorite show and keep to myself in the kitchen. Zoe (she’ll be 4 in June) is convinced she can do everything all by herself, including chop things with sharp knives. Naomi (2 1/2) just wants to do whatever her sister is doing. If I’m working on something that requires a lot of precision or a skill they haven’t yet acquired (like using a mandolin), I give them a small bowl and a spoon with some oatmeal. They haven’t caught on that we aren’t always using the same ingredients, haha.

For today’s soup, they were able to help wash and break apart the asparagus pieces, as well as help measure and stir ingredients (we all stir asparagus with a wire whisk, right?). In what [non-dangerous or not-too-messy] ways do you allow toddlers to help in the kitchen? Always looking for new ideas!

Asparagus is a favorite part of spring produce and we eat it several times a week this time of year. I usually just roast or blanch it, and we eat it as a side. We planted asparagus in our garden this year but unfortunately you can’t harvest asparagus for 2 years. Lucky me, ALDI has 1-lb packs of delicious, fresh asparagus, so I stocked up this week and experimented with asparagus soups! I’ve never turned it into soup before, and it sounded like such a refreshing idea!

The outcome was scrumptious, if I do say so myself. For this soup, I paired the asparagus with ramps; if ramps are unavailable (they’re typically found in the wild), you can use garlic and scallions, or even leeks. If you are avoiding carbs, you can easily keep the potatoes out, but I wanted the starchiness and texture of the potatoes.

I’m really loving the selection of SimplyNature organic items at ALDI, and I plan to continue stocking my pantry and refrigerator with these items. The prices are fantastic, and I’m constantly impressed with the freshness of their organic salad greens!

Let me know if you try out this soup or have your own version of asparagus soup; I’d love to hear from you!

Spring Soup with Asparagus and Ramps
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
serves: 4-6

Ingredients
3 lbs fresh asparagus, washed and tough end discarded, then broken into 1-2″ pieces
2 tbsp SimplyNature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Stonemill sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Countryside Creamery Sweet Cream Butter
3 bunches ramps (about 20 ramps; if ramps are not available, use garlic and scallions, or leeks), rinsed thoroughly and sliced
1 lb red potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 cups SimplyNature Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
1/2 cup SimplyNature Organic Plain Greek Yogurt

Garnishes (optional)
dollop of Greek yogurt
roasted asparagus tips
dash of coarse sea salt and pepper
drizzle of fresh lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Discard tough end of asparagus, then break into 1-2″ pieces for roasting. While breaking asparagus, separate about 1 1/2 cups of asparagus tips to roast separately. Coat all asparagus with about 2 tbsp olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place tips in a cast iron skillet and remaining pieces on a baking sheet. Roast asparagus, stirring often: tips for about 15 minutes, pieces for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and put aside.

While asparagus roasts, heat butter in a Dutch oven. Add sliced ramps. Cook until wilted, then add potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add roasted asparagus pieces, reserving tips for garnish. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add yogurt, then puree until smooth with emersion blender.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot or chilled. Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, asparagus tips, drizzle of lemon juice, and a dash of coarse sea salt and pepper.

Sponsor Note: Although this post was sponsored by ALDI, all content, words and ideas are my own. Thanks for supporting the partnerships that help keep this blog running.