Packed with flavor and ready in barely 15 minutes, these sautéed butter lemon garlic asparagus are such a great side dish. Buttery, garlicky and lemony, the asparagus are tender but still have a little crisp. So good!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These sautéed lemon garlic asparagus are so delicious. They're tender, buttery, garlicky and the lemon flavor just brings the dish together. The asparagus are tender but still have a little crunch.
- Asparagus are loaded with vitamins and minerals, they're low calorie and a great green vegetable all around. They're really delicious with other veggies too like this roasted carrots and asparagus recipe, or in this crustless quiche and this very popular chicken Boursin orzo recipe.
- This dish is so quick and easy. The asparagus cook fast when pan-fried, usually under 10 minutes depending on their thickness. It's a great side dish to add to a quick weeknight dinner, but it's also fancy enough to make for a dinner party.
Key Ingredients and Variations
- Asparagus: ideally thinner to medium-thin asparagus are better for this recipe as they cook faster than thick ones.
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice and zest. Fresh is highly recommended over bottled for this recipe.
- Oil and butter: mixing a little olive oil with butter keeps the butter from burning. Use more or less to taste, but a little butter goes a long way.
- Garlic: fresh minced garlic preferred, you don't need a ton, if you put more than 1-2 cloves the asparagus will be very garlicky. The garlic is barely cooked so it's very fragrant and flavorful.
- Salt, pepper and a pinch of garlic powder: to balance the dish.
How to make sautéed butter lemon garlic asparagus
- Wash and trim the asparagus removing the woody ends. It's usually 1-2 inches from the bottom depending on the batch.
- Get the lemon juice and zest ready, and mince the garlic.
In skillet, heat oil and butter together until melted.
Add the asparagus, lemon zest and lemon juice and sauté on for about 5 minutes, or until almost ready, stirring often.
Make a little space in the middle of the skillet and add garlic. Stir it in and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until asparagus are tender. Serve and enjoy!
More Veggie Recipes
If you love veggies check these out!
Tips
- Don't burn the garlic. Garlic cooks very fast, less than 1 minute. We do cook it for a few minutes in this recipe cause it's mixed with the asparagus, 2-3 minutes top. Add the garlic at the end when the asparagus are tender when poked with a fork and almost ready.
- Add more or less lemon and lemon zest to taste.
- Leftovers can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked questions
You can simply grab the bunch and cut 1 to 2 inches with a sharp knife. Or you can use the bending method where you hold the asparagus and gently bend until the end naturally snaps.
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Sautéed Butter Lemon Garlic Asparagus
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 bunch asparagus about 1 ½ pound, trimmed, thinner asparagus preferred
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat oil and butter together until melted.
- Add the asparagus, lemon zest, lemon juice garlic powder, salt and pepper and sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until almost ready, stirring often.
- Make a little hole in the middle of the skillet and add the fresh garlic. Stir it in and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until asparagus are tender. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Cooking time will vary by a few minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus
- Don't burn the garlic.
Nutrition
About Priscilla Lawrence
Hi there, I'm Priscilla Lawrence! Welcome to Sprinkled With Balance where I share elevated and approachable nutrient-rich recipes that aren't overly restrictive, complicated or boring! Based in California but born and raised in France, I'm a mom of two, former certified nutritionist, recipe developer, and food photographer.
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