How to cook asparagus - Easy recipes to grill, roast or air-fry asparagus

Easy recipes to grill, roast or air-fry asparagus

Delicious and easy asparagus recipes showing you how to cook asparagus in different ways! Grill, roast, or fry your asparagus with these quick recipes.

Asparagus benefits 

Asparagus is a green, spear-shaped vegetable. There are different types of asparagus; green and white asparagus. Asparagus is good for you. Like other green vegetables, asparagus is highly nutritious. A handful (80g) of asparagus will count as one of your 5 a day, with asparagus calories weighing in at 21 Kcal / 88KJ when boiled. Other asparagus benefits include:

• Rich source of folate - important for making red blood cells
• Vitamin C - maintaining healthy skin
• Potassium - helps with muscle function

All these asparagus benefits! Let's dive into our delicious and easy asparagus recipes and show you how to cook asparagus!

First things first, learn how to clean asparagus

Sometimes when you bring in asparagus from the store it hasn’t been cleaned properly and you need to make sure it is free of dust, insects and even pesticides before you cook it. Don’t fret, there isn’t a fancy formula on how to clean asparagus. Simply snap off or cut off the woody bits off each stalk. Wash the asparagus under cold running water and pat it dry using a dishcloth or paper towel. That’s it! Now onto how to cook asparagus: 

1. Roasted asparagus

Asparagus in the oven makes for a tasty and healthy side dish. It is quick and simple to prepare, taking only 5-10 minutes. Roasted Asparagus is high in nutrients and low in calories, so why not try it!

How to cook asparagus quickly and simply:

• Heat the oven 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Prepare the asparagus by bending the asparagus till it snaps. The ends of the asparagus are quite tough, so this can be discarded.
• Rinse the asparagus with water.
• Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and drizzle a bit of olive oil.
• Put the asparagus in the oven on a baking tray.  
• Cook for about 10 mins till tender yet crisp. Don’t overdo it, or it will become limp and mushy. 

2. Grilled asparagus

This is even quicker than asparagus in the oven! With only 5 minutes from pan to plate, you will be eating in an instant!

This tasty Ginger Miso Grilled British Asparagus recipe will be a culinary adventure. Pairing miso and ginger with asparagus benefits your health. Ginger and miso may help to support a healthy gut.

3. Air-fry asparagus

If you were wondering how to cook asparagus in the air-fryer, then fret no more! Air- fry asparagus is a great alternative to the oven and the grill as it is the best of both worlds. It is very quick with less clean up afterwards.

Simply prepare and season the asparagus. Then arrange the asparagus in a flat layer in the air-fryer basket. Finally, set the temperature to a high heat of 200C and cook for 7 minutes. 

Best way to cook asparagus 

Apparently, the best way to cook asparagus is to roast it. Asparagus in the oven becomes a little crispy and brown, which makes it taste richer. There is an enhanced flavour when eating roasted asparagus.  

Here are some additional recipes for you to enjoy asparagus:

• Asparagus salad with shrimp
• Creamy chicken and asparagus pasta
• Cream of asparagus soup
• Cheesy asparagus with grilled fish
• Potato, pea and asparagus salad
• Toasted almond and asparagus

Summary

Asparagus is good for you and has many nutritional benefits. Asparagus calories are low, and other asparagus benefits are the quick preparation time and high folate content. We talked about how to cook asparagus in a few different ways: asparagus in the oven, air-fryer or grilled. By popular opinion, the best way to cook asparagus is to roast it in the oven as it tastes richer and looks mouthwatering! Enjoy cooking these delicious green (or white) vegetable spears.