Asparagus is often seen as a less than pleasant vegetable, which probably dates back to your childhood dinner tables and being forced to finish them before desert time. Chances are, you haven’t touched one since and it’s time for a switch. Here are 3 simple ways to prepare asparagus for your matured (maybe) tastebuds:
Pan-Fried
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: About 20 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
1 pound of trimmed asparagus
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Pour in olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Add the asparagus spears to the skillet and continue turning them the entire time for even cooking on all sides.
4. Cook time should not exceed 15 minutes. You definitely don’t want to overcook asparagus. As soon as you see them starting to brown, you’re good to go.
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Total Time: About 25 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh trimmed asparagus
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Crushed black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons grated cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the trimmed asparagus, sea salt, crushed pepper, grated cheese and minced garlic to coat.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the spears.
4. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet in a single row so that each spear can cook evenly.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the asparagus become tender. Top with lemon juice before serving and voila! You have a restaurant style side dish.
Boiled Asparagus
Photo By Kimberlee Bochek
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 5-7 minutes
Total Time: About 8 minutes
Servings: 1-2
Ingredients:
1 can of asparagus
Sea salt
Crushed black pepper
1/4 cup butter
Directions:
1. Add 3-5 inches of water and 2 teaspoons salt in a saucepan.
2. Bring water to a full boil on medium-high heat.
3. Drain juice from canned asparagus spears and add them to boiling water.
4. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Note: In this method, it is easy to accidentally overcook the asparagus. Watch for when they become tender and then drain the spears to serve.
Using any of these quick and easy cooking methods to vamp up your asparagus, you will be able to impress your friends or roommates. Health benefits and skills in the kitchen? There’s nothing underrated about that.
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