Cream of Artichoke Soup

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

I have a super long list of recipes I want to make but every now and then I get super indecisive and can’t make up my mind. When I’m stumped, I simply ask Casey what he’s in the mood for. I always know his reply will be something in the hearty/creamy/meaty/warm spectrum. Last week it was:

“Cream of Artichoke Soup. Yeah. Make that.”

OK. Decision made. That was easy.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

I never had Cream of Artichoke Soup until I went to Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero with Casey and his family. If you haven’t been there, GO. It’s a real treat. When it’s a cold and foggy day, nothing tastes better than their creamy artichoke soup with torn hunks of warm sourdough bread. For Casey, it reminds him of his childhood. It’s because it’s a bowl of comfort. I totally get that.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

We had this soup last week for dinner. It’s perfect for a chilly Spring night.  A night where you feel a little bit of wind and you’re not quite ready to go sleeveless. A night when you are partially excited for warm weather but content with being inside, enjoying artichoke season.

And we’re off!

The cool part about this recipe is that it can be made year round. We’re using frozen artichokes, so be sure to defrost them. Also! It’s really easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. BONUS.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

If you have a high speed blender, there’s no need to chop the artichokes. Just blend them all with the water.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Blended.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Add the puree into chicken stock, butter and garlic in a soup pot. This gets cooked over the stove for about an hour. Stir occasionally. You don’t want the artichoke to stick to the bottom.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

We’re getting our thickening agent on! You might think the soup is already thick enough…but we’re going to strain it to get rid of any tough artichoke bits. We want a creamy thick soup.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Cornstarch slurry goes in.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Followed by cream. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

We strain and season with salt & pepper.

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

We’re done!

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Serve with crusty sourdough bread. MAJOR!

Cream of Artichoke Soup // shutterbean

Chopped parsley on top and wedges of lemon on the side.

Cream of Artichoke Soup

serves 6

recipe slightly adapted from Saveur Magazine

  • 2 lbs. frozen artichoke hearts,  thawed and roughly chopped
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1⁄3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
  • 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
  • chopped parsley, for serving
  • warm sourdough bread, for serving

Working in batches, purée artichoke hearts with 2 cups water in a blender. Transfer puréed artichokes to a 6-qt. pot with the butter, chicken broth, garlic, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

In a small jar or bowl, whisk together cornstarch with 1⁄2 cup cold water. Vigorously whisk cornstarch mixture and heavy cream into soup. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, whisking frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain soup through a mesh strainer into a clean pot over low heat; discard solids. Ladle soup into 6 bowls, garnish with parsley, and squeeze a lemon wedge over each. Serve with warm sourdough bread.

  • Averie @ Averie Cooks

    I love artichokes, so much! I would love this soup and I love how creamy it looks! pinned!

  • Maggie

    Hhhmmmmm…very interesting and yummy. Yes, I can relate, I wouldn’t think of making it, even though I love artichoke cream soup, unless someone suggest it to me. Question though: Can I do half the amount of butter….ok three-quarters of the batter and do Joy’s cashew-cream from her mushroom cream soup recipe? Or would I be basically ruining the soup? Be honest with me, I can take it!

  • Jane M

    In a word WOW! Oh in a second word YUM!

  • Marie

    LOVE! The simplicity of this recipe is wonderful!

  • Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

    I rarely make stuff with fresh artichokes, and it’s such a shame! I LOVE THEM! And love this soup! xx

  • Taylor

    UHM, YES! I’m making this tonight because 1. it sounds and looks incredible and 2. all I have to do is pick up a big loaf of sourdough bread!

    xoxo
    Taylor

  • stephanie @ iamafoodblog

    this looks absolutely delicious tracy!

  • Todd

    Audrey and I have been ALL about artichokes lately, but this soup takes it to a whole new level.

  • Lia : Tangerine Canteen

    This looks deelish!
    We only seem to be able to get artichoke hearts in brine or oil here as part of ready-to serve anti-pasti ranges, but maybe the oil version would work if I reduced the water in the puree stage & the oil in the frying stage?
    Food for thought – thanks Tracy!

    • Tracy

      I would rinse them off and then proceed! You might need to watch the salt content though. The marinated stuff is tangy!

  • Amy

    Yummy! I love a good thick soup and we are heading into winter down here so my soup pot is taking up its permanent position on the stove for the next few months. I’ll be sure to add this into the rotation so that we don’t put ourselves on pumpkin overload! Thanks Tracy!

  • Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate

    This looks SO creamy, I love it!

  • Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me

    Simple and Delicious! What’s not to love.

  • Carrie

    Do you think I could use Artichokes in oil? I have a massive jar that was gifted to me and this looks devine. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

    • Tracy

      I think you could…but I would make sure to rinse them really well. You don’t want a lot of oil in the soup!

  • Brianne

    I asked my husband over the weekend if he’d be interested in cream of asparagus soup, and he was all “I would eat cream of broccoli or cream of mushroom.” Boring! I hope to convince him soon, otherwise I’m just going to make cream of not-broccoli soup for myself. Thanks for the tip on using jarred hearts–that’s all we have at my grocery store.

  • fusilliamy

    Everything about this post is so gorgeous and smooth and soothing. Beautiful! (I wanted to say creamy too but…the visuals…) But seriously, the tones and mood fit perfectly. I’m adding frozen artichokes to my grocery list!

  • Helen @ Scrummy Lane

    I love the taste of artichokes, but they can sometimes be a bit ‘wiry’, so making a creamy soup with them is a fabulous idea. I love that you can use frozen artichokes = super easy = just up my street. Will be giving this one a go.

    • Tracy

      Totally! That’s why we strain this soup so there’s no stringy bits.

  • anita

    i made this last night and it was deeeelicious! thank you for sharing 🙂

  • Webbyrå

    This looks delicious!!! I’ll definitely make this recipe some time next week.

  • 9 Healthy Soup Recipes for Spring |

    […] A little bit of cream never hurt an artichoke. This recipe pits the two together for a bowl that could best be described as pure silk. Get the recipe here. […]

  • Andrea

    Thanks very much! I just made this and it’s awesome. I was hesitant about the lemon but it works. Really nice soup. A keeper.

  • susan

    so, i’m a little confused about the instructions. do i use 2 c of water for every 2 c of artichoke hearts? that seems like a lot of water!

  • Gina Herrera

    This looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I’m going to make it tomorrow for lunch. I can smell it already! Yum!

  • Betsy

    New to your website. Think I found this on Pinterest?

    Anyways, I made this amazing soup yesterday. Delicious. Even my skeptical boyfriend loved it. I did make the mistake of adding in the lemon juice to the soup before serving. Apparently, I cannot read. But it was delicious. Think the acidity helped to lighten the soup. I did end up adding a little more chicken broth since it was soooo thick. So not sure if I didn’t Ninja it long enough? I did Ninja it again before adding the cream, and it definitely seemed to help smooth it some more. Ended up with very little stringy stuff in the mesh colander. Thank you so much for this easy, delicious recipe. Making your artichoke pizza later in the week.

  • jim Peterson

    Everything looks good, except the photo of a tablespoon of soup, barely wetting the bottom of a shallow bowl.

  • Barbara Wolf

    This Artichoke Soup looks lovely. I’d love to make it for my Christmas Dinner; however, I’m having 12 guests for dinner and this recipe is only for 6. Can I safely just DOUBLE each ingredient without changing the deliciousness of the soup. Just double each item???
    Thank you for any advise you can give
    Barbara Wolf

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