What’s your favorite method for how to cook asparagus? For me, choosing just one is impossible, because asparagus totally transforms depending on how you prepare it. When you roast it in the oven, its tips turn perfectly crisp and golden brown. When you blanch it, it comes out vibrant green and fresh, and when you grill it, it becomes wonderfully charred and juicy. Can I pick all three? Below, you’ll find my best tips on these techniques for how to cook asparagus. If you already love asparagus, I hope you also love this handy guide. If you don’t love it, I encourage you to try preparing it in a new way. Who knows, if you’ve always had it steamed, you might like it grilled, roasted, or even raw!
Roasted Asparagus
Oven roasted asparagus is one of the key ingredients in my mom’s spring breakfast casserole, but it’s also delicious on its own as a spring side. It couldn’t be easier to make! These 4 steps will yield perfect baked asparagus:
Grilled Asparagus
If you’ve never grilled asparagus before, you’re going to love it! The spears come out tender and lightly charred, and the process is really simple: Use grilled asparagus in this spring farro salad, or serve it on its own as a simple side dish. I love to grill lemon halves along with the veggies (pictured at the bottom of this post). I’ll serve grilled asparagus with generous squeezes of juice from the charred lemons!
Blanched Asparagus
I love adding chopped blanched asparagus to spring salads or folding it into scrambled eggs. To make it, follow these easy steps:
But wait, there are more ways to cook asparagus!
Blanching, roasting, and grilling are my three go-to cooking methods, but you can also sauté asparagus for a frittata or pasta or poach whole spears for a quick dinner side dish. I even like it simmered into soup. Alternatively, don’t cook it at all! Use a vegetable peeler to shave thick spears into ribbons to make a salad with olive oil and lemon, or use the ribbons on pizza or toast.
