• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

our recipes + your inbox = the eatmail

Join now

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • About
  • Contact

Live Eat Learn

Easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time

free ebook

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • Recipe Index
  • Vegetarian 101
  • Travel
  • Meal Plans
  • Course
    • Breakfasts
    • Lunches
    • Dinners
    • Appetizers
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Raw
    • Vegan
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Ingredient
    • Avocado
    • Bean
    • Cauliflower
    • Chickpeas
    • Eggplant
    • Mushroom
    • Tofu
    • Quinoa
    • View All
  • Collections
    • All Time Favorites
    • Air Frying
    • Budget Friendly
    • Comfort Food
    • High Protein
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless Monday
    • View All
  • Visit our kombucha site
    Visit our dog food blog
Home Vegetarian Cooking 101 Ingredient Guides

Asparagus 101

Share
Share on:
By: Sarah BondUpdated: Feb 06, 2020 Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links.

Everything you need to know about cooking with asparagus, including varieties, selection, storage, and nutrition information!

Bunch of green asparagus stalks on a gray background

When I lived in America, asparagus season passed by with little excitement or rejoice. It was just another vegetable season, right? Not here in Europe! From April to June, everyone stops what they’re doing to go swoop up a bundle of asparagus. Why? Well not only is the growing season short here, but we have a great climate for growing white asparagus! This “white gold” defines springtime here, but this week we’ll be cooking with asparagus in all of its royal colors.

Varieties of Asparagus

All of the asparagus we eat is actually the young plant. Once the tips of the asparagus begin to open, the stalks turn very woody. Generally the thinner the stalk, the younger and more tender the asparagus.

  • Green: The most popular variety, these should be available in most supermarkets during the spring.
  • White: This is grown by covering the asparagus completely with soil so that they never see sunlight and begin to photosynthesize. This variety is more tender and less bitter.
  • Purple: This variety, hailing from Italy, has less fiber than the green variety.

How to select and store asparagus

Look for equally sized spears with tips that haven’t yet opened. Store asparagus in the refrigerator, with the ends wrapped in a slightly moist paper towel. Alternatively, you can keep them tied in a bundle and stand them upright in a glass of water, with 1 to 2 inches of water at the base. Cover them loosely in a plastic bag. They should keep for about one week.

Green asparagus stalks on a white background

Cooking with asparagus

Asparagus contains a lot of water-soluble vitamins, which means it can lose these vitamins if exposed too much to water. When cooking with asparagus, try to aim for:

  1. Minimal contact between asparagus and cooking liquid (so steam them if possible, and wait to chop your asparagus into pieces until after it’s cooked)
  2. Minimal heat exposure
  3. Minimal cooking duration

A few of our favorite ways to cook asparagus are:

  • Plain asparagus (how to cook it 5 ways)
  • Asparagus Pizza with Burrata
  • Asparagus Noodles
  • Almond Crusted Asparagus Fries
  • Roasted Asparagus with Romesco Sauce
Picture of asparagus stalks on a white background

Asparagus Nutrition Information

per 1 cup raw asparagus (134 g)

  • Calories: 27
  • Carbohydrates: 5.3 g
  • Fiber: 2.8 g, 11% Daily Value (DV)
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Fat: 0 g
  • 70% DV of Vitamin K: A fat-soluble vitamin that allows for activation of enzymes in the clotting cascade, which is responsible for blood clotting. Also builds bone by modifying osteocalcin so that it may bind calcium, thus building the bone matrix.
  • 20 DV of Vitamin A: Provides the provitamin version of this fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it comes from a plant source and your body converts the plant pigment into active Vitamin A. It is essential in many components of healthy vision, as well as immunity and cell growth/differentiation.
  • 16% DV of Iron: A major component of hemoglobin, the proteins that make up red blood cells and carry oxygen around the body. This is a non-heme source, meaning it does not come from an animal. It is not absorbed as well as heme iron.
  • 17% DV of Folate (Vitamin B9): A water-soluble vitamin that helps make DNA & RNA and metabolize amino acids.
  • Asparagus is also packed with healthy flavonoids, like Quercetin, a flavonoid which has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

You may also like...

  • Asparagus pizza recipe on orange background - This Burrata Asparagus Pizza is a simple yet downright delicious flatbread to whip up on pizza night. Creamy burrata piled with tender asparagus, fresh arugula, and lemon!
    Asparagus Pizza with Burrata and Arugula
  • Asparagus in a steaming basket - The ultimate guide on how to cook asparagus! How to cook asparagus in the oven, in the microwave, or by blanching, steaming, or sautéing.
    How to Cook Asparagus (The Ultimate Guide!)
  • 13 Ways to Cook Eggplant
  • This Roasted Asparagus with Smoky Romesco Sauce is a simple, flavor-packed recipe that is sure to brighten up your dinner table with! With just 1 pan and I'm 30 minutes you’ll have a show stopping side dish ready to go.
    Roasted Asparagus with Romesco Sauce
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Rate this Recipe:




Primary Sidebar

Hello

I'm Sarah

A flavor-loving nutritionist and sensory science specialist showing you how to make easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time.

Let's Meet

Freebie alert!

3 reader-favorite cookbooks delivered straight to your inbox.

Get in now!

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Plate full of crispy chickpeas with a wooden spoon.

15 Minute Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas

Personal size mozzarella pizza cooked in an air fryer

Air Fryer Pizza

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Brussels sprouts on a plate with wooden serving spoons.

The Best 15 Minute Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Kale chips on a white plate.

10 Minute Air Fryer Kale Chips

Dinner This Week

Vegan tikka masala with naan and rice in a white bowl

M

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

T

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Vegan Thai red curry in a bowl on a red background

W

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Vegan nachos on a black plate on a white background - These vegan nachos are piled high with easy mushroom BBQ "pulled pork" and a cashew-based queso cheese sauce that will knock your dairy-free socks off.

R

BBQ Mushroom Pulled Pork

Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos

F

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Lemon risotto in a bowl with basil on a yellow background

S

Lemon Basil Risotto

As featured on:

3 bonus books!

Join our Eatmail newsletter to get free copies of our top 3 cookbooks, new recipes, exclusive meal plans, and more!

Follow Along

  • Easy Vegetarian Facebook Group
  • Kombucha Brewers Facebook Group
Back to Top
  • Web Stories
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Collaborate
© 2023 Live Eat Learn
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Support by Foodie Digital
169 shares