I do not really remember eating asparagus as a kid, and I only saw it a few times at holiday meals in my early adult life. All the recipes for it seemed ultra-tricky – I don’t own a stand up steamer and hollandaise sauce looks pretty finicky to make and not have separate.
A few years ago, when we tried grilling pretty much everything to see if we could, we tried asparagus and it was a nearly instant success. The only real trick is you need a grill pan of some sort to keep those stalks from rolling into the grates and being eaten by the fire.
We add garlic cloves to the pan for an additional kick of carmelized flavor, but you can skip this step if you are not a fan.
Grilled Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- Splash Balsamic Vinegar
- Splash Splash Olive Oil
Instructions
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Pre-heat the grill with a grill pan on the grates.
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Rinse and pat dry the asparagus. Cut off the tough bottom ends (quick tip – leave that bottom rubber band on and cut above it to make trimming easier).
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Peel the garlic. If a milder taste is desired, place the cloves in a microwave safe measuring cup with a cup of water and microwave for 1 minute.
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Combine asparagus and garlic in a bowl and add a splash of olive oil; mix well (I use my hands) to make sure everything has a light coating of oil to prevent sticking.
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When grill pan is hot, add vegetables and toss, being careful to avoid splatter from the oil.
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Monitor while grilling, stirring/flipping occasionally.
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Remove from the grill using long-handled tongs and transfer to a serving plate.
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Splash with Balsamic Vinegar, and cover with foil to keep the heat in while you plate up your other grilled dinner items.
Recipe Notes
The 30 minutes of prep time includes bringing the grill up to cooking temperature; actual hands on prep time is less than 5 minutes.
For grilling vegetables, we use a cast iron grill pan, but I've had success with those thinner metal ones with the holes in them that you find in the grilling section of hardware and cooking gadget stores.
Stir occasionally while grilling - these are not fussy and do not need to be perfect; like the grilled mushrooms, the goal is get them good and charred but not burned.
Looks pretty tasty! Thanks for the recipe!!!