20 Asparagus Recipes to Make Right Now: Roasted, Raw, Grilled & More
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Earlier this week I spoke with my friend Margaret Roach, the master gardener behind A Way to Garden, all about asparagus — how to grow it, how to store it, and, of course, how to cook it!
I’ve rounded up some of the recipes we discuss below, including this raw asparagus salad, this simple roasted asparagus from the Canal House ladies, and Margaret’s delicious sounding Easy Asparagus-Parmesan Bake, which she describes as “a fast concoction that’s not quite a quiche nor a frittata, but does involve a nice fresh egg or two.”
Listen to our conversation over on A Way to Garden and learn how to make your own asparagus bed, how to dig the appropriate trench, and how to fill it with dormant asparagus crowns. Margaret makes it sound easy, and I’m tempted to order a few bundles of purple passion and to get planting! Subscribe to all of Margaret’s future podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher.
Over on A Way to Garden, you can also enter to win a copy of my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs, and if you leave a comment below, you can enter to win a copy of Margaret’s essential gardening book, A Way to Garden. 🎉🎉🎉 Details below.
Finally, I also recently had the chance to chat with Margaret’s sister, Marion Roach Smith, a memoir-writing coach and podcast host, all about food writing. Read it or listen to it at this link.
PS: Margaret Roach’s Garden is Magical
This post is organized as follows:
- How to Select Asparagus
- How to Store Asparagus
- 20+ Recipes to Make Right Now
- A Way to Garden Book Giveaway
How to Select Asparagus
When selecting asparagus at the market, look for firm, bright- and even-colored (no dark spots or yellowing) stalks with smooth skins and compact heads. Avoid spears with desiccated bottoms or shriveling bodies, which indicates moisture loss and age. Budding stalks are a sign the stems will be woody.
How to Store Asparagus
First, if your asparagus are wrapped in rubber bands…
… snip them away. Then…
… transfer them to glass jars with a little bit of water in the bottom. If you have space in your fridge, you can store them there. Margaret’s smart suggestion is to store the asparagus in the door of the fridge, which is a little more stable than the open shelves of the fridge. If your kitchen is cool, you can store the asparagus at room temperature.
20 + Asparagus Recipes to Make Right Now
6. Asparagus and Arugula Salad
7. Asparagus Pizza with Whipped Ricotta & Salami. Here are my two favorite pizza dough recipes: Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust and Homemade Pizza Dough (Tons of Tips 🎉). You can watch a video here or follow these instructions:
- Place a Baking Steel or stone in the upper third of your oven. Heat at 550ºF for 45-60 minutes.
- Whip ricotta in a food processor. Season with salt. Spread over pizza dough. Sprinkle parmesan over top.
- Top cheese layer with salami.
- Shave asparagus with a peeler. Season with olive oil and sea salt. Spread the asparagus layer over the salami.
- Drizzle with more olive. Season with sea salt.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes. Cut and serve.
11. Asparagus & Endive Salad (recipe below).
12. Roasted Asparagus and Spring Onion Croque Monseiur
13. Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic and Parmesan
14. Asparagus-Parmesan Bake via Margaret Roach’s A Way to Garden
15. Asparagus Latkes via Food52
16. Cheesy Asparagus Tart via What’s Gaby Cooking
17. Roasted Asparagus with Pecan Parmesan (Vegan)via Walder Wellness
18. Cream of Asparagus Soup via Epicurious
19. Grilled Asparagus with Tahini Lemon Sauce via The Lemon Bowl
20. Tagliatelle with Asparagus & Peas via Love & Lemons
The Giveaway
To enter to win a copy of Margaret’s A Way to Garden, leave a comment below. Tell me your favorite asparagus recipe or your favorite spring recipe. Good luck!
20 Asparagus Recipes: Asparagus & Endive Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegan
Description
About this time of year every year, I crave this salad, a combination of asparagus and endive dressed with a simple vinaigrette and lots of chopped chives. I learned to make it years ago while working in Philadelphia from a French-trained chef who would toss the asparagus spears and endive slivers in his version of sauce gribiche, a combination of olive oil, lemon, capers, cornichons, shallots, hard-boiled egg, and a handful of herbs.
Here, the dressing has been simplified, but the preparation is the same: asparagus spears are blanched in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes and shocked in an ice bath to stop the cooking and to preserve their bright green hue. Once cool and dry, the spears are dressed with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, capers, and lots of chives, but any number of herbs would be nice, tarragon in particular.
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus
- 2 heads endive
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon capers, or more to taste
- 1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. When it comes to a boil, drop the asparagus into the water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus and drop them in the ice bath.
- Meanwhile, halve the endive heads lengthwise, then cut each half into thin slices. Transfer endive slices to a large bowl. Drain asparagus and pat dry. Add to salad bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Add capers and chives to bowl. Use your hands to gently toss everything together. Taste. Season with more salt, pepper, capers, etc. Transfer salad to serving platter.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, French
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
44 Comments on “20 Asparagus Recipes to Make Right Now: Roasted, Raw, Grilled & More”
I’ll have to try some of these I parboil my asparagus and I serve with hollandaise sauce! It’s simple and yummy!
I love asparagus roasted with olive oil or added to an egg custard bake with feta.
I found your page several years ago via Margaret’s Way to Garden page and since then have enjoyed both. Asparagus has long been my favorite vegetable and I’ve made it dozens of ways. My favorite this spring was on focaccia (thank you for the recipe) with asparagus, scallions, red bell peppers, zucchini, and herbs. It was delicious and pretty. I’d love a copy of A Way to Garden ( I have already purchased Bread, Toast and Crumbs).
Sometimes spring can be a little blustery and chilly so that’s when I go to “my go to” roasted asparagus soup. It’s warm and comforting. In many ways, just like your recipes. Thanks for sharing – they are all winners in my book!
Just made the asparagus latakes from Food52, a huge hit. I served them with a lemon sour cream sauce to top them with.
Oh yay! Great to hear this!
Love your recipes and Margaret’s blog. Would love to get her book!
I like Farro Salad with Asparagus
Asparagus quiche is my absolute favourite. Lots of asparagus, cream, eggs and cheese!
I love asparagus simply roasted with some garlic and parmesan!
Very excited to try the risotto with asparagus!
I love asparagus — always load up on it when it is priced low enough.
I like it almost any way, but cream of asparagus soup has been a recent gavorite
My husband and I really enjoy preparing asparagus in a cast-iron skillet. All you need is butter, melted, add the asparagus and keep turning it in skillet. No spices needed. You get the full flavor of the asparagus, it is soft and delicious!