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Pan charred asparagus tossed with lemon juice and toasted walnuts. Great quick and easy side dish. Perfect for fresh spring asparagus!
I hope that everyone had a great Easter yesterday. We had a good time with family, hunting for eggs, and enjoying some great food. We went to our neighborhood egg hunt, and my 8 year old had lots of fun. He got to hang out with a couple of his friends, and score more candy. I tried to avoid putting tons of candy in his Easter basket this year, so he made up for it at the Easter egg hunt. Now to get my butt in gear with birthday planning, because my 8 year old turns 9 on Friday.
Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and I love that it is in season again. Usually I roast it in a little olive oil with salt and pepper, and can eat it by the pound (I may or may not have eaten this whole pan in one sitting at lunch the other day). No one else in my family eats asparagus, but I more than make up for it. I saw this method for pan charring vegetables in the latest Cooking Light magazine. It seemed like such a great idea, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Pan charred asparagus just be my new favorite side dish.
To make the asparagus you will want a heavy duty skillet. You get the pan screaming hot, so it has to be able to stand up to the heat. I used a cast iron skillet, but pretty much any skillet that isn’t non-stick should work. This method would be great with green beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots or even bell peppers. Tossing with fresh herbs or Parmesan cheese would be great additions as well. Pan charred asparagus is perfect with the fresh asparagus in stores right now. And tossing with walnuts give it a great salty, crunch.
Pan Charred Asparagus with Toasted Almonds
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil, (walnut oil, or olive oil works too)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat for 2 minutes.
- Spray pan with cooking spray, immediately add asparagus, shaking into a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, without stirring.
- Once lightly charred, stir, and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occassionaly.
- Remove from heat.
- Toss the asparagus in oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add lemon juice and walnuts, stirring to coat.
- Serve immediately
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Need more side dish ideas?
This asparagus looks amazing!
I totally need to char my vegetables more often. This looks great!
Love the idea of putting toasted walnuts with asparagus!!
This sounds awesome! I would have never thought to have toasted walnuts with asparagus. Looks so good!
Ooo! I’ve never pan charred asparagus before! I can also eat asparagus by the pound, so I’m always looking for another way to prepare it.
I love this recipe. I just love asparagus, but I discovered it late in life. Now I can’t get enough of it. Totally trying it with nuts next time I make it.
I almost always just roast my asparagus but love the addition of toasted nuts with it! Also I have the same pan, so clearly my version will taste as good as yours. 🙂