Description
Sauteed asparagus is a quick and easy side dish perfect for spring! Tender spears are cooked in olive oil and simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 pound fresh asparagus stalks, medium stems work best here *see notes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- optional- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste, finely minced garlic, or shallot
Elevated garnish suggestions: fresh herbs such as dill, chives, and parsley. Toasted slivered almonds, pinenuts, lemon zest, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
Instructions
- Rinse and trim asparagus, cutting the woody ends off. Cut the stalks into roughly into 2-3 inch pieces. Straight cuts are faster, or cut at a diagonal- julienne, for a fancy look.
- In a large skillet or large frying pan, over medium-high heat, add olive oil and asparagus. Stir to coat with oil, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Add salt and pepper cooking asparagus a couple minutes more. Check for tenderness, continue cooking if needed. TIP: To keep the asparagus tender crisp, remove from heat just a touch before it reaches the desired softness, as it will continue to soften a bit as it cools. Cooking time varies with asparagus thickness.
- Delicious as is or serve with a squeeze of lemon and a few suggested garnishes if desired!
Notes
Garlic or shallot- feel free to add ½ way through cooking the asparagus.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Great for meal prep add to salads, pasta dishes, grain salads etc.
Medium asparagus stalks work better for sautéing. The tiny pencil sized can sometimes get mushy and large asparagus is best for the grill.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 83
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 41 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg