Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 12 lbs fresh asparagus
• 2 tablespoons chicken base
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups water
• 14 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 14 teaspoon mustard powder
• 18 teaspoon celery seed
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. To prep asparagus, rinse thouroughly and snap off dry ends of stalks or your soup will be grainy and gross.
2. Roughly chop stalks, leaving about 1" left of the tops where the leaves are.
3. Separate these tips for later use.
4. Melt butter in heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
5. Chop raw bacon into 1" sections, add to melted butter and sautee until starting to brown.
6. Add the chopped asparagus, leaving tips out.
7. Stir occasionally until asparagus starts to brown a fair amount.
8. Once browned reduce heat to medium then pour in chicken base, milk, soup, water and seasonings.
9. Bring to simmer stirring until smooth.
10. Puree with immersion blender or in regular blender in batches.
11. Once smooth, stir cornstarch in with a few tablespoons of water until smooth, stir into the simmering soup.
12. Mix in the florets set aside earlier.
13. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until asparagus tips have softened.

bacon, butter, fresh asparagus, chicken base, milk, lowfat cream of mushroom soup, water, poultry seasoning, mustard powder, celery, salt, pepper, cornstarch

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/creamy-roasted-asparagus-soup-451035 (may not work)