I get excited when I see fresh asparagus at the farmer’s market.  Asparagus is one of the first local farmer’s crops here in the spring, and it is a treat to get some that is freshly cut.

Here is a quick and easy recipe that doesn’t require many ingredients.

For our family of four, we use about 1-2 bunches of asparagus at a time, and serve it as a side.

It is recommended to store asparagus with the stems in water until you are ready to use it.

Asparagus

For this recipe, you will also need:

~ butter (approx. 1 Tbsp)
~ lemon juice (approx. 2oz)
~ salt & pepper (to taste)

Start by washing the asparagus and then removing the hard ends of the stems.  We prefer to do this by hand (rather than estimating the best place to cut the ends), and the kids like to help.  Simply break the ends off – the stems should snap easily where it is too hard and tough to eat.  Throw out or compost the ends.

Lemon, Goat Cheese & Asparagus Pasta

Cut the remainder of the asparagus into bite-size pieces, about 1-2″ long.  If you prefer, especially for purposes of presentation, you can leave the asparagus whole.

Place in a pan medium-high heat with the butter and lemon juice.  Stir occasionally so that the asparagus cooks evenly.  You may need to add more lemon juice or even water as the liquid cooks off (you can cover intermittently to help retain moisture).

Remove from heat as soon as the asparagus begins to appear “wrinkly” or start to turn brown, which should be about 5 minutes or less.  We like our asparagus cooked lightly, just enough so that it doesn’t get stringy or tough, and stays fresh and crunchy.

Add salt and pepper to taste (we are fans of coarse Himalayan salt).

Enjoy!

Check out our other vegetarian recipes on the blog!

Marysa

About the Author: Marysa

Busy blogger and mom of two girls! We love traveling and the great outdoors, and are always looking for our next adventure!