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sauteed asparagus with garlic bits on top
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Sauteed Asparagus

Sauteed asparagus. Cooked simply with butter, salt & pepper. You won't believe these humble ingredients come together to make the most delicious asparagus!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Sauteed Asparagus
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 -8
Calories 67kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh asparagus trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Melt the butter (3 tablespoons), over medium heat, in a 12-inch skillet.
  • Add asparagus (1 bunch) and garlic (2 teaspoons) to the skillet. Season with salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Using a pair of tongs, grab 2-3 inch bunches of the asparagus and turn it over in the pan. Break up any garlic that may have formed into clumps, and spread it out, and turn it occasionally. Continue this process, turning everything occasionally, to ensure even cooking and avoiding burning the garlic. Cook just until the asparagus is tender, generally 6- 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears.  (Thinner spears may be tender quicker than 10 minutes. Very thin spears may cook in as little as 4-5 minutes.)
  • Using tongs, remove asparagus from the skillet onto a plate. Evenly distribute any garlic and butter left in the pan.

Notes

  1. Thongs – I use 12-inch tongs to make this recipe. While the asparagus is cooking, I grab small bunches of the asparagus by, 2-3 inch diameter, with the tongs and flip them over in the pan. I continue this process occasionally, throughout the cooking time, to make sure the asparagus cooks evenly.
    • Basically, what you want is to move the spears around so that all the asparagus comes into contact with the heat on the bottom of the skillet and also get evenly coated with the butter. Because the asparagus is long and fills up most of the pan, you can’t simply stir it around to get it evenly cooked!
    • They’re made by one of my favorite kitchen tool manufacture OXO. They have a great rubbery grip, have nylon tips that are heat resistant, lock for storage, and then even go in the dishwasher for cleaning!
  2. Garlic – garlic in this recipe is optional. I add it if its flavor compliments the other dishes I’m making for dinner. This recipe is honestly amazing with or without the garlic. It’s fun to have it both ways.
    • Each variation is like two different sauteed asparagus recipe. The instructions don’t really change much if you add it or you don’t. The most important thing to do, if you choose to add it, is to move it around in the pan so it doesn’t burn. The minced garlic can tend to clump up. I just use the tip of the tongs and stir it up,  flip it over, and distribute it, as much as possible, throughout the asparagus.
    • When I add garlic, I use a lot of garlic in this recipe. 2 teaspoons of minced garlic is perfect for this dish, in my humble opinion.
  3. If you aren’t a fan of garlic, this recipe is really yummy made without any at all. The asparagus cooked in butter, salt, and pepper alone is amazing. If you like garlic, but don’t like it a lot, cut it back to just 1 teaspoon.
  4. Asparagus – Cook the asparagus just until it’s tender or a knife or fork inserts easily into the stock. Don’t allow the asparagus to get too soft or it will be mushy by the time you go to serve it. It continues to soften as it cools down a bit. The thinner the average stock, the quicker it will cook.
  5. Butter – The butter may brown gently around the edges of the skillet. Moderate your heat, lowering it as needed, so that you don’t brown, or worse, burn your garlic. Burnt garlic turns bitter and ruins the dish. I like the garlic to stay nice and golden.
  6. Heat – On my cooktop, I cook it on medium heat most of the cooking time and only turn it down just a bit toward the end if needed. 
  7. Salt – If you’re sensitive to salt, or just prefer your food lightly salted, cut the salt back to 1/4 teaspoon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 742IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg