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Asparagus

Asparagus

Selland's market-cafe in Sacramento is an uncommonly good café and often a source of inspiration for foods to prepare. Recently I had some of their asparagus and loved the texture - slightly crunchy (definitely not mushy!) - and the hint of lemon flavor along with the olive oil and Parmesan. Upon inquiry I was told that the asparagus had indeed been parboiled for 2 minutes and then tossed with Parmesan, olive oil, and some lemon zest. So easy!

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Asparagus Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb
  • 2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2 Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Serves 4.

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54 Comments

I have a general question regarding measurements. In this recipe, it states 1 bunch of asparagus, 1 lb. Then in the recipe you cut it into 1-2 " sections. Do you still need the 1 lb of asparagus after it is cut. On many recipes I have tried over the years, I have always run into this issue & have never quite figured out the correct way to measure the recipe.

Posted by: Stacey on June 22, 2005 8:27 AM

Hi Stacey -
With a recipe like this you don't need to be so precise. Ultimately it's done to taste anyway. With baking however, you do need to be very precise with the measurements, as baking is more akin to chemistry.

Posted by: Elise on June 22, 2005 8:37 AM

I just made this a few minutes ago - I'm sitting here enjoying it right now! It's lovely. It tastes so fresh, it's a wonderful summer recipe. The asparagus I had bought was pretty young and therefore thin, so I ended up using about 2 lbs. I liked it with a more subtle lemon and Parmesan cheese flavor anyway.

Posted by: Sheeijan on June 29, 2005 4:44 PM

This looks absolutely wonderful. I have been cooking asparagus on the grill a lot lately since I've been seeing it on sale everywhere, but this looks like a great way to cook it on the nights when I'm not grilling anything else. Thanks for a great recipe.
Kalyn
P.S. It's low carb too, for those of us who care about such things!

Posted by: Kalyn Denny on July 3, 2005 1:06 PM

I love spring so much! It's the only time you don't have to sell internal organs to buy asparagus. This sounds very tasty, and very, very simple.

Posted by: Lauren on March 27, 2006 6:13 AM

I'll have to try this. Aspsaragus is my favorite vegetable. One way that I like to cook it is to rub the spears down with oil and lightly salt and pepper them. Then, take about three spears and bundle them up with a slice of bacon. You could spiral wrap the bacon down the length of the spears, or wrap the bacon around the middle and tie it in a knot (this is typically what I do). Bake @ 350 until the bacon is cooked through. The flavor that the bacon fat imparts to the asparagus is out of this world. Then again, bacon fat gives just about anything an out of this world flavor. :)

Posted by: Brad on March 27, 2006 6:56 AM

Hi Elise, do you live around Sacramento as well? We went to the Sunrise farmer's market last weekend but could not get my husband to agree on buying asparagus! The recipe you shared looks like a very easy one to make, thanks for sharing.

Posted by: fethiye on March 27, 2006 7:12 AM

I'll try this but use preserved lemons, since I have a big jar...it would be good with some sundried tomato or kalamatas added too...

Posted by: Charlene on March 27, 2006 8:34 AM

Is the California asparagus crop already coming in? Here in France it's been too cold. Maybe next month... The recipe sounds great and I will try it with the white asparagus we get here.

Posted by: Ken Broadhurst on March 27, 2006 10:15 AM

Lauren: How long do you bake the bacon wrapped asparagus? I tried this last night with blanched green beans and by the time the bacon got done, the tips of the green beans had transformed into dark, wizened tips. Not good. I even nuked the bacon for 1 minute before wrapping.

Posted by: Janni on March 27, 2006 12:12 PM

I oven bake my asparagus with a mixture olive oil, crushed fresh garlic, salt, cracked black pepper and a little balsamic vinegar (using a large ziplock bag to coat the asparagus makes it easier). Spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it at 350 for about 20 minutes or until it's to the doneness you prefer. It's so yummy, I could just eat that for dinner. I have a fresh bunch in the fridge for tonight. This same recipe is good for any fresh veggies you like. You can also throw in some fresh chopped herbs of your choice too. It's fun to experiment.

Posted by: Rita on March 27, 2006 2:44 PM

I had this at Kalyn's house, the other night, it was, by far, the best asparagus I've had. Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Erin on March 27, 2006 3:33 PM

Thanks so much for posting on how to cook asparagus. I have NEVER cooked asparagus in my life! And on a recent post a couple of friends shared how they do it. But your way and the comments here also give me a variety of ways to try it for the first time. Thanks.

Posted by: Deb on March 28, 2006 4:06 AM

Hi Elise,

It's funny, I made almost exactly the same dish this weekend :) The only thing I do differently is shock asparagus in ice-water after boiling it. Isn't it the most awesome spring dish! I guess great minds do think alike ;)

Cheers,
-Helen

Posted by: Helen on March 28, 2006 11:22 AM

This sounds wonderful! Around this area, asparagus grows wild in the road ditches! From May through June we just go out and pick it. I have yet to eat my fill of asparagus, though. I'm definitely going to give this recipe a try. Thanks Elise!

Posted by: Sally on March 28, 2006 9:07 PM

Hi Elise - such beautiful asparagus, I like adding a little balsamic too. I can't wait to go for PYO at nearby farms, it's one of my favourite vegetables...

Posted by: keiko on March 28, 2006 11:46 PM

Is there an optimal time to cook Asparagus, before using in a tart? Just curious as to how to perfect my normal tart...Thanks!

Posted by: julie on March 29, 2006 4:05 PM

I tried the recipe at the top. It was excellent! I look forward to trying some of the other above recipes.

Posted by: Connie on April 1, 2006 9:35 PM

This was great! I made it for dinner last night and then got the bright idea to throw it into some pasta and cheese...WOW to say the least.

Thank you so much for the post!

Posted by: Sachin Kundra on April 12, 2006 4:01 PM

This was amazing! Perfectly light and delicious.

Posted by: susan on April 17, 2006 4:36 PM

Boy am I glad I found these receipes, I have been injoying asparagus for a good number of years, but usually cooked it the same old way. Creamed asparagus on toat. We love it, but I am sure going to try some of the recepies I found here tonight.
Thanks to all.

Posted by: Rose on May 30, 2006 6:53 AM

Dear Elise,

I tried this recipe twice and it tasted absolutely wonderful!!it was sooo easy to make. The second time I made it as accompaniment to our barbequed pork and chicken at the beach...everybody loved it!!

Posted by: upasana on October 28, 2006 5:18 PM

So simple, yet so delicious. Thank you for the recipe!

Posted by: Nelson on October 29, 2006 10:35 AM

Perfect and delicious.............loved it and way way easy!

Posted by: barrie allen on November 8, 2006 3:13 PM

I was looking for an easy asparagus recipe for a long time. Now I think I found the best one. I managed to surprise a lot of my friends with the unusual heavenly taste. Thank you!

Posted by: Mariya on January 19, 2007 4:10 PM

i have tried this recipe. it also works well with natural slivered almonds and basil.

Posted by: shannon on January 23, 2007 1:39 AM

Yum, thanks for this recipe. I used white truffle oil, imported parmesan, and a meyer lemon from my yard. It's so simple and fresh and delicious.

Posted by: Janet on February 19, 2007 6:44 PM

Thanks--this was a great side dish for my birthday meal this weekend. I seared some Wagyu prime rib and made you perftect mashed potatoes and had a bottle of Shiraz.

I usually prefer to broil asparagus, but I wanted to parboil or steam it, so that I could reuse the water, pot, and stovetop from the potatoes. This was easily the best boiled asparagus I've had; the parmesan was nice and subtle & my girlfriend didn't even realize it was there. She loved the lemon too (and I always use some when I broil or grill asparagus).

Posted by: atom prober on March 4, 2007 9:18 AM

Very yummy recipe! As a single dad, it's great to find such an easy, quick, delicious, and healthy side dish. Thanks

Posted by: Walter on October 12, 2007 6:48 PM

Thank Heavens! My family is simply not into vegetables except me! However, I found a vegetable they actually fight over! Keep them comming! Delicious!

Posted by: Mary Russell on February 25, 2008 2:30 PM

Made this last night, and it was perfect. My new favourite. Even my husband said it was 'actually edible' - a huge compliment from a non-asparagus guy. We only ate about half of it, so I used the leftovers tonight in your Smoked Salmon Pasta (in place of the fish - I didn't have any) and that recipe also turned out delicious.

Posted by: Seven on March 22, 2008 2:14 PM

This was the perfect spring side dish! We just loved it very fresh

Posted by: lorri hayes on April 18, 2008 6:02 PM

So easy and so tasty! The asparagus was cooked to perfection. I will use this recipe again for sure

Posted by: amanda on May 14, 2008 4:26 PM

so yummy, I'm eating it right now! two minutes is the perfect cooking time to keep it crunchy, and the parmesean and lemon give it a nice zip.

Posted by: naomi on June 4, 2008 4:18 PM

This was wonderful! My entire family loved it, even my son who usually dislikes asparagus. Thank you!

Posted by: Michele on June 21, 2008 12:28 PM

Wow! Just had this and it was soooo good!

Posted by: Sara on August 31, 2008 7:47 PM

I tried this recipe a while ago (in fact, it was my first encounter on your blog) as I was looking for a unique way to present asparagus as a side dish. It was Mother's Day, so everything had to be extra-special for Mom! This asparagus was sooo delicious. I loved the parmesan and lemon. Will definitely make this again!

Posted by: tastyeatsathome on September 3, 2008 1:32 PM

Hi Elise,

I am going to add this to my dinner menu tonight, with the addition of some minced garlic and sliced toasted almonds. I may replace the lemon with some lemon pepper, just to be daringly different. It should go superbly with my teriyaki garlic marinated sirloin steaks I am tossing on the grill and my homemade baked beans.

Posted by: Darby "The Dessert Diva" on September 6, 2008 5:43 PM

I found some beautiful asparagus at Trader Joe's and used a very slight amount of organic lemon juice because I didn't have a fresh lemon around. Turned out wonderful.
Even my 4 year old loves this one. My asparagus phobia husband will eat it. Great side dish!

Posted by: amy on September 30, 2008 11:00 AM

I don't know why I've never commented on this entry, but this is one of my favorite ways to fix asparagus! Sadly I don't have access to really exquisite olive oil, but have found the Colevita in the tin tastes fine. The only change I sometimes make is using shredded asiago instead of Parmesan, but that's just if I have a chunk of asiago sitting around in the fridge.

Posted by: Stacia on October 3, 2008 8:17 PM

I am not much of a cook and my wife is very paticular about how she likes her veggies. I made this recipie and she loved it (as did I). Thanks!

Posted by: Nick on January 17, 2009 6:47 AM

This has become a favorite in my house! So simple and so delicious!! Thanks, Elise.

Posted by: Kelly on February 18, 2009 7:01 AM

I have followed this recipe several times now and it just gets better every time! thank you for posting this!

Posted by: chris on March 18, 2009 4:29 PM

The asparagus were easy to make and tasted so good. The lemon zest just added a zing that was wonderful. Will definitely make again.

Posted by: Judy Hart on April 12, 2009 8:34 PM

I found this recipe a few months back and tried it, and I can't wait to make it again tonight! :)

Posted by: Kayla on April 14, 2009 10:18 AM

This is the best asparagus recipe! My husband does not usually like asparagus but loves this recipe.

Posted by: Cory Kayser on July 21, 2009 6:27 PM

The recipe was quite simple, I think I added too much lemon juice, next time I use lemon pepper.

Posted by: Barbara on July 31, 2009 6:18 PM

This was extremely easy and extremely tasty. The asparagus was still a bit crunchy, which is how we like it, and the flavor was outstanding. I used Bertolli olive oil and the kraft pre-shredded parmesan and it was great!! Our guests raved about it and their 7 year old son even like it!! We paired it with salmon and garlic mashed potatoes.

Posted by: Sarah on December 22, 2009 10:29 AM

I love asparagus and may I just mentione that it goes very well with balsamic vinegar (instead of the lemon zest you suggest).

Posted by: Serge on January 8, 2010 2:56 PM

Would this work with frozen asparagus? What would I need to do differently? Thanks!

I have yet to cook with frozen asparagus, so don't know what to tell you. ~Elise

Posted by: Brianna on January 25, 2010 12:31 PM

Really simple and delicious. If you can't find young thin asparagus, add a minute or two to the cooking time.

Posted by: Tell on February 14, 2010 5:52 PM

Elise,
I tried the recipe with balsamic vinegar and increased cooking time by 1 min (since my asparagus were not thin) as suggested by the readers and it turned out very tasty.

Thanks for the recipe.

Posted by: Priya on March 11, 2010 5:06 PM

Just made this for a South Beach lunch for my husband and myself. It was not only easy, but fabulous. Will no doubt enjoy this very often as we embark on our weight loss program!

And BTW, for the most outstanding flavor be sure to use lemon ZEST as called for in the recipe. (Not juice.)

Thanks Elise.

Posted by: Linda F on April 20, 2010 11:19 AM

Great fast easy recipe. I usually like my asparagus grilled or roasted and not steamed or boiled, but this parboil is the happy medium. I learned that depending on the cooking method either wet or dry, it brings out a different flavor compound in asparagus. Have you heard of this before?

Well I know when you roast asparagus, that definitely brings out new flavors. ~Elise

Posted by: Nancy on June 15, 2010 8:54 PM

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