Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce is a budget friendly side dish the whole family will love. This recipe makes quick, and easy crisp-tender asparagus drizzled with an amazing lemon butter sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It’s the best asparagus side dish of ever!
Looking for more easy ways to make asparagus? Try my Cheesy Grilled Asparagus in Foil Packs or this Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce recipe.
I Love How Quick This Asparagus Side Dish Is To Make
It’s done in like 13.7 minutes. AND it’s been far too long since we last talked about asparagus… Creamy Chicken Asparagus, anyone?
P.S. HAPPY FRIDAY! It deserves a Hallelujah!! Rough week, people. Can’t understand why I couldn’t wait to grow up. This adulthood thing is wack! And I’ve been a “grown-up” for 20 years now. I should be used to it, but nah. Responsibilities, deadlines, parenting, mortgages, bills… shoooot…
Can’t I just shop?!? Which I do. And I CAN because I’m an adult and don’t have to tell anyone why I felt it was cool to get an Oscar-esque dress just because I felt like it, but have nowhere to wear it to. By the way, Rent the Runway is my new fave spot. Dresses galore, purses, accessories… I could live there!
Enough about my obsession. P.S. If I wasn’t a food blogger, I’d be a fashion blogger.
Asparagus With Lemon Butter Is One Of My favorite Side Dish Recipes
But food is where my ❤ IS! And Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce is where my obsession started.
I was around 12 years old when I went to a fancy shmancy dinner and was introduced to this beautiful, (at the time it was a VERY UGLY and EWWWW and YUCKY!!), vegetable.
When the plate was set in front of me, I didn’t want to touch it. I started talking to myself, quietly, saying things like, ewwww they want me to eat a tree branch! ewwww! I hate my parents! At which point, my mom pinched me under the table so dang hard, and without a peep I knew that she expected me to eat what was on my plate because, the look on her face was all about, “wait until we get in the car…” Sssscarrrry.
So I gave in and I ate it. All of it. And I LIKED it! waaaah! I was too embarrassed to admit that I loved it because I was 12. I shouldn’t have LOVED asparagus at the very young age of 12. BUT I DID! And still do. Very, very much. And broccoli, and green beans, and spinach, and kale… I truly am a green-veg lovah. There. Now I said it and I feel damn good about it. Admitting is the first step.
Oooh, see this supercalifantastic dish below? How could you not love it!?
The Lemon Butter Sauce Is So Good You’ll Want It On Everything
Oooh, that sauce. THAT SAUCE. It’s everything. A bit of lemon, some veggie stock, cream, and a few tablespoons of butter get it on in a saucepan and do wonderful things. You’ll see. Just know that it goes with everything and anything. Fish, chicken, veggies… it’s a recipe that you should keep for forever. The End.
ENJOY!
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TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- water
- salt
- 2 pound asparagus , trimmed
- 3 tablespoons fresh meyer lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons organic , low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pats*
- salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste
- Garnish with parmesan cheese , fresh chopped parsley and lemon zest
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of salted water and bring to a boil.
- Add asparagus to the boiling water; cover with a lid and let it steam until it's cooked to your liking, about 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus.
- Drain. Transfer asparagus to a large bowl of ice water to cool, and drain again.
- In a saucepan combine lemon juice, vegetable broth, and white vinegar. Cooking over medium heat, reduce the sauce by half.
- Turn heat down to a simmer and whisk in the cream; keep whisking to break up the curds.
- Add sugar and continue to whisk while adding the pats of butter, letting each pat melt into the sauce before you add the next.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and let stand couple of minutes. Sauce will thicken as it stands.
- Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Transfer cooked asparagus to a serving plate.
- Serve the lemon butter sauce by drizzling over the asparagus or on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Categories:
More Easy Asparagus Recipes You Might Like:
Roasted Asparagus with Bacon and Feta Cheese
Can you make this sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge?
Lovely recipe but why the sugar??!! The butter and cream are enough to round out the flavours, and I’ve never seen a traditional French version of this classic sauce made with sugar, and it worked brilliantly without!
I use it on fish nearly all the time
That’s great to hear!! Thank YOU! 🙂
This sauce is fabulous, I have been using it for years. You need to cross reference to just lemon butter sauce on google so more people can find this. Also it’s great with capers and / or finely sliced French shallots.
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Unfortunately it was much too lemony and curdled, so I had to throw it out.
I don’t cook this was so easy to make n everyone loved it.
It would be so nice and helpful if people would respond with opinions about taste and not appearance.
I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and instantly thought it looks just like Cheesecake Factory’s asparagus I enjoy so much, which they serve with their salmon. This is definitely it! Now I don’t have to go there every time I crave it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for stopping by, Marina!! I had no idea that the Cheesecake Factory had something like this on their menu. Smart people!! 😉
Hope you’ll have a chance to try it! Have a great day ahead!
Oooooh – we love asparagus! We’ve been eating it like crazy…can’t wait to try your version!
This asparagus dish looks so good. I love asparagus and that lemon butter sauce looks drinkable. I think asparagus is the best veggie ever. I’ve loved it forever too. 😉
I didn’t always love asparagus but I can’t get enough of it now! Especially when they look this gorgeous! Love the sound of the lemon butter sauce!
This sauce sounds fantastic! Makes the natural flavor of asparagus stand out! Ca’t wait to try this!
I just bought some asparagus I’ll have to try out this sauce, it sounds amazing.
That’s great that you fell in love with asparagus at such a young age. I love this simple preparation – great way to let those natural flavors shine through.
Lovely looking sauce.