Christmas Asparagus
If you are looking for a fancy asparagus recipe for Christmas dinner, this dreamy melt in the mouth baked asparagus with truffle oil and pistachios will be a delicious and unique addition to your table! Fancy enough for the holidays but so easy to make too, this might be the most popular side dish at your festive feast! It is easy to make and all bakes together in one dish!
Ingredients
- 1.2 lbs (550 g) asparagus, see notes
- ¾ cup (180 ml) double (heavy) cream
- 1.5 tsp dried tarragon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¾ cup (70 g) grated cheese , pecorino, parmesan or other Italian hard cheese
- 4 tbsp raw unsalted pistachios, chopped
- 1 tsp truffle oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 180C / 360F.
- Prep the asparagus by chopping of the thick woody ends and placing them in a lightly oiled casserole dish.1.2 lbs asparagus
- Sprinkle the garlic, tarragon and salt and pepper on top.1.5 tsp dried tarragon, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper
- Add the cheese over the top.3/4 cup grated cheese
- Pour the cream over the asparagus, making sure to cover it as evenly as possible, and then place in the oven (uncovered) and bake for 10 minutes.3/4 cup double (heavy) cream
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the pistachios over the top. Bake for another 10 minutes.4 tbsp raw unsalted pistachios
- Remove from the oven, drizzle the truffle oil over the top of the dish, and then serve.1 tsp truffle oil
Notes
Asparagus weight - the weight given is before the asparagus is trimmed down. If you're buying pre-trimmed asparagus, you will want to scale that down.
Cheese - Parmesan cheeses sold in the EU are not vegetarian due to it using animal rennet. If you need this dish to be vegetarian friendly, look for a parmesan substitute like a generically named "Italian hard cheese". I am in the UK and I personally use pecorino from Tesco which is vegetarian. Outside of the EU, the rules on naming cheese "parmesan" don't seem to apply so just check the ingredients list on any cheese before you buy it if you need it to be suitable for a vegetarian diet.
Calories: 152kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 172mg, Potassium: 229mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 955IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 2mg