Barely-Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette – Kalyn’s Kitchen

posted by Kalyn Denny on April 9, 2021

This Barely-Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette is simple to make and absolutely bursting with flavor! And the simple-but-tasty vinaigrette is also good on so many other veggies. 

PIN Barely Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette!

This easy recipe for Barely Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette is one of my favorite ways to cook the fresh spring asparagus I love so much. I’ve enjoyed this recipe for quite a few years and recently I decided it needed better photos to entice you to make it. Don’t you think the new photos make this look delicious? I’m featuring this favorite asparagus side dish for Friday Favorites this week to entice you to try it!

And the super-easy lemon-mustard vinaigrette that’s drizzled over the asparagus makes this special enough to make for guests or a special family dinner. This recipe is also super low in carbs and also extra quick and easy to make. I hope you’ll add it to your menu soon if you’re a fresh asparagus fan like I am! And if you’re really an asparagus fan, check out the collection of Asparagus Recipes for even more ideas.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• fresh asparagus
• water + salt to cook asparagus
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Dijon mustard (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil (use good quality olive oil for this)

Other vegetables that are good with this vinaigrette:

The delicious and easy to make lemon-mustard vinaigrette used in this recipe is also delicious on roasted or barely-blanched broccoli or green beans. Also try it on grilled zucchini,  grilled eggplant, or grilled mushrooms.

How to make this recipe:

1. To trim asparagus, first take hold of a piece with both hands and break it. You can tell where the woody part of the stem starts by where the piece breaks. Then trim all the other pieces to that length. 
2. I like to cut asparagus on the diagonal, but it’s not necessary, take your choice on that! For this recipe cut the asparagus pieces in half again so each stalk makes 2 pieces about 3-4 inches long.
3. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pound of asparagus (about 18-20 oz. after trimming) but this was good the next day, so you might want to double it.
4. Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil, add asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes (no longer!) Asparagus should be barely tender-crisp.
5. While asparagus cooks, mix together fresh-squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt and fresh ground black pepper, then whisk in the olive oil to make the vinaigrette.
6. When time is up, put the asparagus in a colander and let it drain  1-2 minutes so the water has run off.  (Some recipes plunge the asparagus into cold water to stop the cooking, but I like to cook it a minute or so less and not cool it down, because I want it to still be very hot when it’s served.)
7. After the asparagus has drained well, you might want to spread out some paper towels on your cutting board, add the asparagus, and blot dry with paper towels.
8. Arrange the asparagus on a serving dish and drizzle the lemon-mustard vinaigrette over. Serve hot. 
9. This was also good after it has been in the fridge overnight, both heated for a few minutes in a hot pan or served cold in a salad.

Make it a Meal:

Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette would be great as a side dish for a low-carb meal with something like Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce, Cheesy Curry Chicken Bake or Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce.

More Ideas that Might Make you Binge on Asparagus:

Roasted Asparagus with Soy-Sesame Glaze from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Keto Cheesy Roasted Asparagus from I Breathe I’m Hungry
Roasted Asparagus with Garlic from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce from Low-Carb Maven
Easy Roasted Asparagus from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus stalks, ends trimmed and cut into two pieces
• 2 quarts water + 1 tsp. salt to cook asparagus

Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or slightly less if you’re not that into lemon
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste)
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil (use good quality olive oil for this)

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with 2 quarts of water, add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil.
2. Hold a piece of asparagus in both hands and snap to see where the end breaks off.  (This tells where the woody part of the stalk begins.)
3. Trim all asparagus pieces to this length, cutting on the diagonal, then cut again so each stalk is cut into two pieces about 3-4 inches long.
4. In a small glass measuring cup or bowl mix together the lemon juice (I used my frozen fresh lemon juice), Dijon mustard, salt, and fresh ground black pepper, then whisk in the olive oil.
5. I used a little less oil to make the dressing slightly more lemony. If you’re not that into lemon you might want a little less lemon juice.
6. Put trimmed asparagus into the boiling water, stir, and cook for 2-3 minutes.  (Use a timer to be sure you don’t cook it longer than that.  You want the asparagus to be slightly tender-crisp when it’s taken off the heat.)
7. Drain asparagus into a colander placed in the sink and let sit for 1-2 minutes, until all the water has run off.
8. Then put a layer of paper towels on a large cutting board, put asparagus on top of towels and blot dry.
9. Arrange the asparagus piece on a serving tray, drizzle lemon-Dijon vinaigrette over, and serve.

Notes

This is also good after it’s been in the fridge overnight. It can be reheated quickly in a hot frying pan or just served cold in a salad. The Lemon-Vinaigrette is also delicious on green beans or broccoli!

Recipe adapted slightly from Vegetables Every Day. (affiliate link)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 807mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette is a perfect vegetable dish for pretty much any eating plan, including low-carb, Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, Paleo, Whole 30, and the South Beach Diet. The original South Beach Diet encourages eating at least 2 cups of vegetables per day, and asparagus is one of those wonderfully low-glycemic vegetables that’s allowed for any phase of the diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.