Asparagus with Parmesan Breadcrumb Sauce

This elegant recipe for asparagus with Parmesan breadcrumb sauce features a dreamy creamy drizzle of cream. A perfect Easter side dish!

Spring has 100% sprung here in my little corner of North Carolina! The daffodils are blooming, the Southern husband are starting to eat lunch outside, and you know what all of that means…

It’s asparagus season!

If I had to pick my favorite veggie, asparagus might be right at the top of this list, tied for first place with potatoes and fresh summer corn, and this is the time of year when it starts popping up from local vendors around here.

The other thing that is right around the corner is Easter, and here’s another reason why I adore asparagus.

When it comes to practically any other holiday I am all excited about the main course and the sides, but with Easter since I know the main course will be ham, I tend to focus DIRECTLY on the desserts.

Like my mama’s carrot cake with cream cheese frosting…

…or my white chocolate lemon raspberry tart..

…so having a dependable but elegant side dish recipe like this easy and elegant asparagus with a cheesy creamy crunchy topping in my back pocket frees me up to spend all my time obsessing about dessert!

So, let’s talk asparagus!

What is the best way to cook asparagus?

I have two favorite ways. The easiest way is to simply roast it with a little olive oil, and that is especially the best way when you have nice fat asparagus.

The other way is to simmer it up in a little salted water – you can use skinny or plump asparagus for this – and top it with, say, an easy peasy Parmesan cream cheese with bread crumbs.

The first step is to get your mitts on some asparagus. You are going to need about a pound or so.

The second step is to trim it.

How to trim asparagus

This is literally the easiest thing in the world. Asparagus have a little kind of woody end. Take the woody end in one hand and hold the middle of the stalk in the other and bend it until the end snaps off. Toss the woody ends.

It is SO satisfying. Now you know how to trim asparagus!

If your asparagus are the thick kind, you can also take a vegetable peeler and peel the skin off from the top of the stalk down.

Sometimes I do that and sometimes I don’t. Either way your asparagus are going to cook up just fine.

How to make asparagus with Parmesan breadcrumb sauce

Take a bread slice, tear it into pieces and whirl it in your food processor until it is in crumbs.

Pop a little butter in a small skillet and melt over medium high heat.  Add the breadcrumbs and a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir until they are nice and crispy and golden.  

Scoop out ’em and stir in some fresh chopped parsley.  Set aside.

Next! Bring a large skillet of water to a simmer, add a generous pinch of salt and cook the asparagus until just tender, about 3-5 minutes for thin spears and 5-7 minutes for thick spears.  Drain them and place on a platter.

Put a quarter cup of heavy cream in a small pot over medium high heat and bring to a simmer.  Add three quarters of a cup of Parmesan cheese and stir things until the cheese is melted.

Drizzle the cheese sauce over the asparagus, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese and serve it up.

Now you can go back to the important decisions…dessert!

• OTHER ASPARAGUS DISHES WE ADORE!
• Honey Breadcrumb Asparagus. Even the name is adorable.
• Mustard Bacon Asparagus. Once again, because bacon.
• Shaved Asparagus Salad. ALL the fanciness!

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