This steamed asparagus recipe is a delicious and easy way to cook up a nutritious side dish. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a delicious and nutritious side dish in no time.
The asparagus is lightly steamed, then dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette. This light, healthy vegetable dish goes great with any meal and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
I love spring! I love watching the asparagus poke their purple heads up out of the earth. And then turn that beautiful bright, vibrant green. And then…I get to make this!
This is a wonderful, flavorful recipe for asparagus. It’s lightly steamed so it’s still tender-crisp. And the vinaigrette is lightly sweet and sour with the balsamic vinegar.
If you’ve never tried steamed asparagus before, I encourage you to give this a try!
Steamed Asparagus with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh asparagus spears
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh snipped chives
- 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Rinse the asparagus and snap off the bottoms. If you hold the stalk in both hands and bend it, the stalk will snap where the “woody” part ends. Save the ends to make Creamy Asparagus Soup.
Line up the ends of the stalks and tie the bunch together. This will help keep them standing upright when you put them in the steamer basket.
You want the asparagus standing up because the bottoms of the stalks need more steaming than the tops do.
Place a steamer insert into a saucepan with water in the bottom. You could also use an asparagus steamer pot if you make it a lot. 🙂
The water should not be higher than the bottom of the insert. Put the pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high.
Bring the water to a boil. Place the asparagus stalk sides down in the steamer insert and reduce the heat.
Steam until bright green and tender. The time will depend on how thick your stalks are, but about 4-8 minutes.
While the asparagus is steaming make the vinaigrette.
Balsamic Vinaigrette for Steamed Asparagus
In a small mixing bowl blend the sea salt and the balsamic vinegar. When the salt has dissolved, pour a thin stream of the olive oil into the mixture while whisking. Whisk until the olive oil is incorporated.
I like to snip my chives fresh as I need them. I use these handy-dandy herb scissors to make quick work of cutting up herbs of all kinds. Add the fresh chives and whisk again.
Remove the asparagus from the steamer, cut the string, and arrange it in the serving bowl.
Spoon the vinaigrette across the middle and serve. You could even sprinkle some homemade feta cheese crumbles over it. Yum!
This asparagus side dish is perfect to go with Pan Seared Salmon or Grilled Lamb Chops.
Blessings!
More side dish recipes you’ll enjoy:
Steamed Asparagus with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh snipped chives
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse the asparagus and snap off the bottoms.
- Line up the ends of the stalks and tie the bunch together.
- Place a steamer insert into a saucepan with water in the bottom.
- Bring the water to a boil. Place the asparagus stalk side down in the steamer insert and reduce the heat.
- Steam until bright green and tender, about 4-8 minutes.
- While the asparagus is steaming make the vinaigrette.
- In a small mixing bowl blend the sea salt and the balsamic vinegar.
- When the salt has dissolved, pour a thin stream of the olive oil into the mixture while whisking. Whisk until the olive oil is incorporated.
- Add the fresh chives and whisk again.
- Remove the asparagus from the steamer, cut the string, and arrange it in the serving bowl.
- Spoon the vinaigrette across the middle and serve.