Sauteed Asparagus

5 from 6 votes

Sauteed Asparagus is a simple vegetable side dish that takes only a few minutes and minimal effort. It's a quick way to cook asparagus and uses very little oil. It's perfectly tender, flavorful, and goes with any entree!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Traci

Equipment

Ingredients

½ pound Fresh Asparagus tough ends removed
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
pinch Salt
pinch Black Pepper

Instructions

Heat OLIVE OIL in skillet over medium heat.
Add ASPARAGUS to the skillet and sauté until tender, turning as needed. Saute between 3-10 minutes, depending on your texture preference *see recipe footnotes.
Sprinkle SALT and PEPPER over cooked asparagus and serve warm.
To store, allow asparagus to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Notes

Asparagus sizes

thin asparagus = ¼“ thick (saute 3-4 minutes)
medium asparagus = ⅓“ thick (saute 4-6 minutes)
thick asparagus = ½“ thick (saute 6-10 minutes)

Ingredients to add to sauteed asparagus

rice - sauteed asparagus and rice is a great way to make asparagus both filling and more nutritious. I especially love it with brown rice!
mushrooms - add mushrooms to sauteed asparagus by chopping 1 cup of mushrooms, heating double the amount of olive oil, sauteing for 3-4 minutes, then saute the asparagus per recipe instructions.
onions - Add ½ of a thinly sliced onion to this sautéed asparagus recipe. Simply sauté the onions until tender and add the asparagus and sauté until tender.
garlic - Add 2-3 cloves of fresh, minced garlic to the skillet a few minutes before the asparagus is cooked. This prevents the garlic from burning.
lemon - Saute lemons in the same pan as the sauteed asparagus or serve it with lemon wedges or slices. Check out my Lemony Oven Baked Asparagus recipe!
bacon - Add cooked, crumbled bacon to the asparagus during the last minute or two of cooking. If using uncooked bacon, you'll want to fully cook it before adding to the asparagus.
balsamic - sauteed asparagus with balsamic glaze is simply irresistible.
Parmesan - Add Parmesan to sauteed asparagus by simply sprinkling it on when serving. Use grated Parmesan, or use shaved Parmesan for an elegant touch.

Nutrition