I AM ON THE ASPARAGUS DIET, because that’s what the garden has to offer at the moment: beautiful spears of tender asparagus. I like them tossed in olive oil and sea salt and roasted till nearly crispy, but sometimes I want not a side, but a meal, and here’s my favorite one: Easy Asparagus-Parmesan Bake, a fast concoction that’s not quite a quiche nor a frittata, but does involve a nice fresh egg or two.
Ingredients
- Asparagus, enough spears to line an oven-proof baking dish thickly, stem ends snapped off
- Olive oil to coat pan, plus a drizzle for the top
- Chopped parsley
- About 2 eggs, beaten as if to scramble (more will be needed in a larger pan, fewer if a single-serving portion)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
The Steps
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Lightly coat an ovenproof dish or baking pan with olive oil
- Wash and snap the woody ends off the asparagus
- Line the pan with the dried-off spears
- Layer chopped parsley to taste on top of spears
- Pour thoroughly beaten eggs over the spears, just enough to cover about two-thirds of their depth; don’t swamp them
- Top with grated Parmesan to taste; drizzle with olive oil and add pepper if desired
- Bake until egg is almost firm
- Finish briefly under the broiler till golden
- To serve, cut between the spears, not across; I like a side of roast potatoes with mine
This looks delicious! Last night I made the simplest asparagus soup and it was so good! I’ll have to try this next.
Thank you for posting these occasional recipes from your garden offerings! I’m tip-toeing into vegetarian country and I’m always looking for ways to turn my beloved garden veggies from “side” category into a satisfying main dish. I enjoy roast asparagus with a poached egg; this dish takes it to a whole new level.
Perfect. We are on an asparagus/egg diet. This is much simpler than other recipes we’ve tried, but I may add a few more eggs.
Tee hee, Kristi, where would we be without the garden (and local chickens) to tell us what to eat! Yes, you can make it more eggy for sure…and add anything else you like (onion? other herbs?).
Such goodness. Those are some lovely, young spears you got there. I will finally put in an asparagus bed next spring and will just have to wait until I can harvest my own. Thanks for the vicarious pleasure.
Sound’s yummy and perfect for Meatless Monday’s! I don’t think I can wait until Monday!
I dislike asparagus but my husband loves it-I might just be able to eat it this way
I’ve been making lemony asparagus risotto; you can use the water you cook the asparagus in as the stock for extra asparagus-ness. Another thing I enjoy at this time of year is fiddlehead ferns — I love that you can have your ferns and eat them, too, if you just snap off one or two unfurled fronds per plant.
I’m a big fan of the asparagus diet. I need to pick up more asparagus tomorrow.
Yum! Going to try this next time I have asparagus!
Thank you for a great recipe. Love asparagus and cheese and like that there are no bread, or flour products. Will give this a try.
I love asparagus and have roasted it with an olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice dressing. After roasting I zest some lemon on top;the roasting brings out the earthiness of the asparagus and is heightened by the lemon. I can hardly wait to try this recipe!
Hi, Trey. Yes, I try to avoid flour in favor of whole foods as much as possible. Amazing how we all typically ate so much of it: toast, crackers, pizza, pasta, cookies/cakes/etc., sandwiches…nonstop flour. The last 3 years for me it’s become a treat food — like if a restaurant has a really good homemade bread I may have a slice!
Hi, Theresa. Love the idea of the zest, and will try that as an extra next time, thank you. I have some frozen lemon peels in the freezer (ones I juiced then saved the rinds for just this kind of purpose).
thank you for the inspiration! my vegetarian husband will like this as is, and i can see mine with a salmon fillet on the side… but before i cook, what to do about the hard frost forecast for tonight? cover the raised bed with just-up greens? peonies? allium? everything i can manage to cover? not the forecast i was hoping for…
I love this idea: elegent but all about the fabulous fresh ingredients. Thanks!
I’ve been reading Ruth Stout’s opinions on growing asparagus, and she almost has me convinced that I might be able to do it :)
I’ve been stuck in a rut where all I will do with asparagus is roast it. This looks delicious and easy. Will try it soon. Thanks.
I don’t have asparagus in my garden but am heading to the grocery since I must have this today! Yum!
how does this fare at room temperature, or made a day ahead for a brunch?
looks great, we are also on the asparagus diet!
Hi, Elise. Such a great time of year, right? A season of fresh produce commences!
Since everyday is a meatless day, this will be a perfect addition to my recipe collection!
Do you happen to have to nutritional values on this meal. It looks so delish, i eat asparagus every day but am watching carbs. Thanks!
I don’t, Gladiola, but it’s just egg and cheese (which are more protein and fat, no?) and asparagus is considered a non-starchy vegetable (by the American Diabetes Association etc.).
This looks so good! Trying tonight. :)
Glad to incite you, Shara! :) Hope it’s enjoyable.
This looks wonderful, I’m planning it for Mother’s Day dinner. Do you know if you can grill the asparagus a bit beforehand? I think it would give a lovely flavour but I’m worried it might over-do the spears once you put the egg on and bake it. Wouldn’t want floppy spears, would we? :)
Thanks for a lovely website Margaret.