Garlic Asparagus
A weeknight-friendly vegetarian built around fresh asparagus, trimmed, unsalted butter and olive oil — roughly 55 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At easy difficulty across 6 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Snap or trim the woody ends from the asparagus spears and rinse them well under cold water.
- Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is foaming.
- Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, then stir in the minced garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to let it brown.
- Add the asparagus to the pan in a single layer and toss to coat in the garlic butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until the spears are bright green and tender-crisp with a little colour on them.
- Finish with the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, toss once more and serve immediately while hot.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Garlic Asparagus take to make?
About 55 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Garlic Asparagus vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Garlic Asparagus is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Liat Portal for Foodie Disorder - Steak with Asparagus, Yellow Rice, Garlic, and Fresh Salad.jpg by HaJunkiyada, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.