It’s asparagus season! Thankfully this uniquely flavored vegetable has a pretty long season in Pennsylvania – from April to June. It seems like everyone has their favorite way of preparing asparagus, so we asked our Facebook fans how they liked to eat asparagus. Little did they know their recipe suggestions would be featured on our blog! Here’s what they said:
- Grilled and brushed with homemade lemon garlic butter. – Maureen
- Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper (and fresh minced garlic if desired) and oven roast at 450 for 8 to 10 minutes. – Tonya and Shelly
- With scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and cream cheese – Tonya
- Spritz with olive oil, garlic and onion powder, and then topped with sliced almonds, bake for 15 min. – Sara
- White asparagus steamed or roasted w/ sauce hollandaise along with potatoes and rolled up in fried ham. – Olivia
- Steamed with lemon pepper and shaved Parmesan cheese. – Robin
I thought I’d also weigh in with two ways I’ve enjoyed asparagus this season: pasta primavera and spring mix, strawberry and asparagus salad. Pasta primavera was the first meal I ever made for my now husband when we were dating, almost 7 years ago!
Pasta Primavera
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 thin stalks fresh asparagus
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 green squash
- ½ pound snow peas
- 8 ounces rotini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Instructions
- Rinse asparagus, and then cut off and discard the bottom of the asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1- to 1 1/2 -inch chunks. Set these aside and chop squash, peppers and snow peas into 1-inch squares.
- Cook pasta following the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper, cooking and stirring for about 30 seconds.
- Add wine, salt and asparagus stalks (not the tips) to the skillet. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender (about three minutes). Add asparagus tips and tomatoes and cook, uncovered, until the tomatoes are heated through (about a minute).
- Remove from heat, add butter and stir.
- Drain pasta and add it, along with basil, to vegetables in skillet. Toss gently to combine.
Spring Mix Strawberry Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
- 8 cups mixed baby lettuces and spring greens
- 1 pint sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Instructions
Instructions
- In a bowl, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet, sauté over medium heat 7-10 minutes until tender. Allow to cool.
- Toss greens, strawberries, onions, pecans and asparagus and a large salad bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, sugar and remaining oil.
- Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.