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Here’s how to cook asparagus so that it’s full of flavor! It’s easy to make roasted, grilled, sautéed and more.
Hello asparagus fans! If you’re looking for the best way to cook this healthy veggie, you’re in the right place. Asparagus is easily overcooked, making it mushy and bitter. But if you cook it correctly, it’s beautifully bright green and tender, with a mild and sweet flavor. Alex and I have found the best ways to cook asparagus are roasted and sauteed. But it’s also tasty steamed. Here are all our favorite ways to prepare it!
How to cook asparagus: the best ways!
Here’s a genius way to cook asparagus to charred and tender without even preheating your oven. Yes, it’s our new favorite way to make it: Broiled Asparagus! Just throw it in the broiler with a few lemon wheels, and it comes out just like roasted asparagus…but even better.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here’s a favorite way to cook asparagus: easy baked asparagus! It’s baked in a hot oven until tender, but still beautifully green. Then it’s spritzed with lemon: the way to make this healthy veggie taste over-the-moon good. The finishing touch: Parmesan cheese. Want to skip the cheese? Try Roasted Asparagus with Lemon.
Total time: 20 minutes
Here’s a simple way to cook asparagus fast: saute it! When you’re trying to get dinner on the table, you don’t want to get stuck on a side dish. Here’s an easy side dish that requires little prep and almost no thought. It takes no time to put together, and the asparagus comes out tender and beautifully green!
Total time: 10 minutes
Turns out grilled asparagus might be most delicious way to cook it! It’s easy and requires only a few ingredients. It comes out incredible: tender and charred, with a hint of smoke. Spritz it with lemon juice for a little brightness, and it’s a fresh and healthy side dish you won’t be able to stop eating! It's perfect to throw on the grill while you're grilling a main dish.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here's a method for how to cook asparagus that's fast and easy…and healthy, too. Sometimes boiled vegetables lack flavor or come out soggy: but not here! You’ll boil the asparagus in just 1 inch of water until it’s crisp tender. This method makes the most of this bright green spring vegetable. Season with a little butter, lemon and salt, and it’s a deliciously quick side dish.
Total time: 10 minutes
Here’s a particularly useful method for the home cook: how to blanch asparagus! This method preserves this veggie so it stays bright green and tender: perfect for adding to salads, pasta, pizza, frittatas, and more. Sautéed asparagus or roasted asparagus don’t save nearly as well as blanched. You can also go directly from blanched asparagus to freezing it.
Want a quick and healthy way to cook asparagus? Try steamed asparagus. Steaming is healthier than most ways since you don’t need to use as much fat! If you do it correctly, it comes out bright green and crisp tender: perfect with a zing of lemon.
Total time: 10 minutes
Or try it raw, shaved into ribbons!
Did you know that you you don’t have to cook asparagus at all? You can eat it raw! Now, you might think it would taste extraordinarily bitter. But not at all! The flavor of raw shaved asparagus is fresh and light, more sweet than bitter. It’s perfect topped with a lemon vinaigrette and Parmesan shavings in our Shaved Asparagus Salad. Here’s how to shave asparagus:
- Place the asparagus spear on a cutting board. Don’t hold it in the air! It bends under the weight of a peeler. Place it on a cutting board instead.
- Shave from the tip to the base. With a vegetable peeler, shave each spear from the from from the tip to the base. This is important, because otherwise the asparagus can break off. It takes a little practice, but is easy once you get the hang of it!
- Add flavor. Mix with olive oil and salt and pepper, lemon juice and zest if you have it, and it’s an easy side dish.
Want to learn to cook more vegetables? Go to How to Cook Vegetables.
More great asparagus recipes
Want more ways to cook asparagus? Here are some of our favorites:
- In salad! Try our Asparagus Salad with Feta.
- In tacos! Try Scrambled Egg & Asparagus Tacos.
- In risotto! Try Asparagus Risotto.
- In pasta! Try Asparagus Pasta with Lemon or Vegan Pasta Primavera.
Asparagus nutrition
There are lots of reasons to eat these healthy green stalks! Here are a few great reasons to add this steamed asparagus to your weekly repertoire:
- Great source of fiber: 1 cup of cooked asparagus has 4 grams of fiber. (Source)
- High in protein for a green vegetable: 1 cup also has 4 grams protein. (Source) That’s a similar level to broccoli and potatoes.
- Can aid in eye and hair health and may have potential anti-aging properties. (Source)
How to Cook Asparagus (The Best Ways!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Here’s how to cook asparagus so that it’s full of flavor! It’s easy to make broiled, roasted, grilled, and sauteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the asparagus. Cut off the tough bottom ends of the stalks.
- Broiled: Preheat a broiler to high. Add the asparagus stalks to a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, and add the kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Thinly slice 4 lemon wheels from the lemon, then add them right on the baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes. Remove the tray and stir. Then broil 2 to 3 minutes more, until the spears are tender when pierced by a fork at the thickest part. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (optional) and serve.
- Roasted: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the whole asparagus stalks to a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the zest of ½ lemon and mix with your hands. Thinly slice 4 lemon wheels from the lemon, then add them right on the tray. Sprinkle everything with Parmesan cheese (optional). Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced by a fork at the thickest part. The timing will depend on the thickness of the asparagus spears.
- Sautéed: Cut the stalks into bite-sized pieces. In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add the asparagus, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the largest pieces are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Taste and remove when it’s just tender and still bright green, but not crunchy. When the asparagus is done, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus the zest of ½ lemon. Add optional Parmesan if desired.
- Grilled: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees). In a bowl, mix the asparagus with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Place the asparagus directly on the grill grates and grill for about 3 to 4 minutes until charred and tender, turning once. Remove from the grill and spritz with lemon juice from wedges from ½ of the lemon.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: Vegetables
- Diet: Vegetarian
Last updated: March 2021
