How To Cook Asparagus

Spring produce fans, the time has finally come for asparagus to shine. While you can usually find it year-round in grocery stores, asparagus season usually starts around late February until June, but the peak is in April. To enjoy this versatile veggie all spring long, we’re here to teach you all of our favorite methods (from roasting to grilling) for cooking asparagus, so it can be an easy spring side worthy of your Easter meal, or any spring dinner. Here's everything you need to know:  

Different options for cooking asparagus:
— Lazy? Roasting is the way to go. It's a no-prep situation and in the end, the asparagus will be perfectly tender and charred (which is always a good thing).
— If you're in a hurry, sauté it. All you need is a hot skillet + EVOO + salt + pepper. Just stir 'em around occasionally, and in 5 to 7 minutes they'll be perfectly tender.
— Trying to eat healthy? Blanch it. It takes 3 minutes ,and doesn't require any oil or butter. 
— If it's nice out, grill it. Grilled asparagus is one of life's greatest snacks during the summer.
— Air fry it up! Air frying combines the convenience of roasting with the speed of sautéing. The best part? It takes only 7 minutes in the air fryer to make asparagus crispy and delicious.

How to cook asparagus:
— First, trim them. There are two methods for trimming asparagus. You can simply snap off the woody ends wherever they naturally break. This is super easy, but there is some waste. Or, you can peel the woody outer bits with a vegetable peeler. Not only will they look beautiful, but you'll be saving some of the asparagus you would otherwise be throwing away!
— How to season asparagus. You can obviously just grate some Parmesan over your asparagus , or go the even simpler route with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. But, our favorite (and most indulgent) topper for asparagus is buttery, lemony hollandaise.

Serving asparagus:
Depending on how you prepare your asparagus, you've got options. Roast it plain, or make caprese asparagus, cheesy baked asparagus, or our cheesy bacon asparagus casserole. Grilled asparagus is perfect with your favorite seasonings, and paired with our Greek chicken. If you blanch it, we highly suggest incorporating it into our cream of asparagus soup. 

Storage:
If properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge, asparagus can keep up to 5 days. If you'd prefer, freeze the stalks in plastic bags for up to 8 months.

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!