Steamed asparagus with fresh lemon and real butter is a delicious, easy side dish.

Fresh asparagus is a great side, especially in Spring and early Summer when it’s on sale and available everywhere. This easy recipe for steamed asparagus takes about five minutes in a saute pan. It’s crisp, bright green and delicious.

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Back in the 70s my mom used to serve asparagus as a special vegetable side. Great, right? Wrong. Know why? Because it was canned. Not fresh. Not frozen. CANNED. Have you ever had canned asparagus? I have … ONCE. And that was under great duress. I always thought it looked suspicious, kind of a bland green color and very consistent size. I would never eat it. One night my mom had had enough and insisted I eat some in order to be excused from the table. That made for a fun scene. Eventually I did try a bite and know what? I was right! It’s not good.

That set me off asparagus for years. That and canned spinach in the school cafeteria, but we’ll talk about that another time.

Once I was a grown up, I was convinced that I wanted to be fancy and eat fancy foods, even ones I didn’t really like. I have since gotten over that and only eat foods I like. But, in the transition I learned that I actually like quite a few foods that I didn’t think were good. Asparagus is one of them. Fresh asparagus. Not canned, fresh only.

How to prep asparagus

Asparagus is a strange vegetable. You don’t have to peel it, chop it or even use a fork when you eat it. Storage also is a little different. Rather than stuffing it into the crisper drawer when you get home from the grocery store, asparagus does take a little preparation before you put it away.

If you’re not going to eat it the same day you buy it, you should trim the ends before putting it in the fridge. No need to remove the rubber bands holding the bunch together. Just cut right through the entire bunch about an inch from the bottom end. Then stand the bunch upright in a container of about an inch of water. This allows the stalks to absorb the water and stay firm. I’d always read to stand them in a tall glass, but most of my glasses aren’t wide enough to hold a whole bunch, so I use a plastic storage container.

If you won't be cooking the asparagus right away, trim about an inch off the end then stand it in a container with a few inches of water to keep it fresh.

When you’re ready to serve it, prepping asparagus is a snap – literally. Instead of cutting off the ends, you snap them apart. Hold a stalk with two hands, one at each end. Then apply steady gentle pressure while bending the stalk away from you until the stalk bends in half. The bottom end is the hard, woody end. Throw that on the compost pile (or trash, it’s OK!). The top half is the half you want to eat. You should be able to snap through the entire bunch pretty quickly once you get going.

Apply gentle pressure while bending the stalk until the woody end snaps off.

What do you need to steam asparagus?

One of the easiest ways to make most vegetables, including asparagus, is steaming. It’s fast, healthy and has minimal cleanup. I like to use a saute pan (AKA frying pan) to make asparagus. I used to use a sauce pan, but it didn’t really fit right. I think a wide shallow pan cooks them faster and makes it easier to keep them crisp. Make sure your saute pan has a lid that fits well.

You’ll also be happier with some tongs to help move things around. Other than that, this recipe for easy steamed asparagus is a simple dish that doesn’t need a lot of extra equipment. You’ll want a lemon wedge and some butter or ghee to top it before serving.

Steam the asparagus in a saute pan with half-cup water or white wine.

Steam the asparagus in a lidded saute pan with half-cup water or white wine.

Tips and Tricks for Easy Steamed Asparagus

Snapping the asparagus stalks is easy. Just bend until they snap. Even though you’re doing them one at a time, you should be able to get through the bunch quickly.
Don’t overcook the asparagus stalks. If in doubt, they’re done. Seriously, it takes no more than five minutes, and that’s if you heat the pan slowly. I usually pull them off the heat at three or four minutes.
Keep your eye on the asparagus. Do not walk away or start working on something else. You’ll overcook it and not like it as much. (See tip number 2 above.)
If you drain the water out of the pan, you can leave the stalks in the warm pan (off the heat) for several minutes. They’ll keep warm without overcooking.
Etiquette says it’s preferable to eat asparagus stalks with your fingers. That’s a reason all by itself to serve this at dinner!