Ah, honey breadcrumb asparagus! Here’s how this one happened. Every once in a while, I don’t want an actual dinner. I’m definitely hungry, and I want something that is warm and satisfying and delicious, but I’m not interested in the whole knife and fork and sitting down at the table thing. I want finger food, and I want to eat it on my sofa curled up next to the Southern husband while watching a DVRed version of Mad Men that lets me whiz through the commercials. And so here’s how I got away with serving honey breadcrumb asparagus…and only asparagus…for dinner the other night.
Now, those of you who have spent some time on this blog know about my love affair with asparagus. Shaved asparagus salad. Grilled asparagus pizza. Asparagus frittata. There’s pretty much no length to which I will not go to eat asparagus, and the Southern husband is always pretty cheerful about it. But when it comes to an asparagus-only-dinner, I knew I would have to pull out the big guns. Nice thick asparagus (the skinny ones won’t work well in this recipe). Parmesan cheese. Panko bread crumbs. Cayenne pepper. A little butter. And a touch of his favorite honey. You mix up the cheese and the bread crumbs and the spices, and whip up a couple of egg whites with the honey until they are light and fluffy. Roll the asparagus in the egg whites (don’t worry if they aren’t totally covered – you just want some nice patches of egg white here and there) and then in the bread crumb mixture. Lay them on a baking sheet and cook them for about 10 minutes, sprinkling with a little more cheese half way through.
Now cool them for about 5 to 10 minutes…just long enough so they don’t singe your fingers when you pick them up…and there you have it. Asparagus dinner. I actually whipped up a little mustard mayo sauce to have on the side for dunking (the Southern husband is a big fan of both mustard and dunking) but we ended up not dunking any of them…they were just too plain scrumptious on their own. Once I realized he wasn’t dunking, I knew I was home free.
Now, you should feel perfectly free to make these as an appetizer or a side dish (they would be pretty dang great alongside some buttermilk grilled chicken)…but trust me, you CAN get away with serving this for supper. Happy asparagus season.
Honey Breadcrumb Asparagus Recipe
Yield: Serves 4-6 as a side dish, or two for supper!
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed (use thick asparagus)
- Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Poke holes in each asparagus with a fork and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drain for 30 minutes on paper towels.
- Combine one cup parmesan, break crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, red pepper and butter in a shallow bowl.
- Whip egg whites and honey in a mixing bowl until egg whites form soft peaks. Transfer to a 13×9 inch pan.
- Roll each asparagus stalk in the egg whites (don’t worry if they aren’t totally coated), and then roll them gently in the bread crumb mixture, patting the bread crumbs along the stalk. Transfer to the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake asparagus for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup asparagus and bake for another 4-5 minutes until cheese and crumbs are a golden brown.
- Cool for about 5 minutes and serve.
Adapted a little bit from Cooks Country
I…totally occasionally eat roasted asparagus for dinner. it’s just so.damn.good. ANd I love that you’ve given me another excuse to do it! This seems much more appropriate for dinner anyway…it actually has substance to it!
Right?? And I agree, the breadcrumbs definitely make it qualify as an entree.
This looks and sounds soooo good! I definitely want to try them sometime soon!
Definitely soon! Hope you love ’em!
I am excited about your post. My family and I love asparagus but I always make it the same way. I am going to surprise them with this new recipe. Thank you.
Isn’t it fun to find a new way to make an old fave? I just made yet another version of asparagus this last week that I am going to post soon…I think I could eat it every day!
Oh Kate! I would eat that right now and its 7am. Cant wait to try this one.
I think asparagus for breakfast sounds PERFECTLY okay. I’m writing this comment at 6:35 am and I could go for some too! 🙂
like the idea of a dunking sauce – i’m thinking a garlic aioli (or even a siracha aioli for some spice). looks great and crunchy (isn’t that what it’s all about?).
Oooh, siracha ailoi….yum! You could dunk pretty much anything into that and have it taste FAB,
Aaaaaaand I officially need to make this recipe to celebrate Asparagus season PRONTO. I just discovered I like asparagus, and I’ve been clamoring to try my hand at some fun recipes featuring the veggie. This one sounds perfect!
Oh my gosh – you have some catching up to do! Happy asparagus!! 🙂
Ooh! I am all for a dinner of good asparagus, and asparagus with crunch! This sounds like a mouthful of happy. Too much caffeine again. This sounds, and looks, great!
I promise, it IS great! (Asparagus is dependable that way!)
…I’d like to try this recipe ‘cos it looks (and tastes?) really delicious, but I’ve got this idea in mind of putting some BACON in it somehow….how? Any suggestions? Rolling bacon slices around asparagus stalks before covering with breadcrumbs? Or putting some chopped bacon over the stalks when dressed and ready for the oven? Thanks Kate, your blog is great and very funny as well! (forgive my English, but I am Italian)
Hi Francesca! I think the best way to get bacon in here might be to cook chopped bacon until it is crispy and then add it to the breadcrumbs – I think if you rolled it around the asparagus it wouldn’t get cooked enough by the time the asparagus was done. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
For sure! Thanks for your reply!
Oh wow! Asparagus is just amazing, and one of my 3 & 6 year old favorite foods! I will definately be making this for (or maybe with) dinner this week!
Thanks for the fantastic idea!
Wow – I wish the teenager had been such a cooperative diner at those ages! Happy asparagus. 🙂
Supper dish