Asparagus with Lemon Sauce

Name: Asparagus with Lemon Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 20 medium asparagus spears, trimmed; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise; 1 tbsp dried parsley; ⅛ tsp ground black pepper; 1 pinch salt

Tender steamed asparagus spears drizzled with a bright, creamy lemon-parsley sauce, ready in 15 minutes.

5 MIN PREP10 MIN COOK15 MIN TOTALSERVES 4

Cook mode

A white plate of cooked green asparagus spears with a glossy finish.

Steaming keeps asparagus bright green and tender, and a spoonful of lemony sauce turns a plain side into something a bit special. The sauce is just mayonnaise, fresh lemon zest and juice, and parsley, so it takes a minute to stir together. Watch the clock: asparagus goes from perfect to limp quickly.

Recipe adapted from NHLBI, Deliciously Healthy Dinners (public domain, U.S. government work). Photo: bongo vongo, CC BY-SA 2.0.

As writtenMetricUS

Ingredients

20 medium asparagus spears, trimmed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp dried parsley
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
1 pinch salt

Steps

Pour 1 inch of water into a 4-quart pot, set a steamer basket inside, and add the asparagus. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and steam for 5 to 10 minutes, until a sharp knife slides in easily. Do not overcook.
While the asparagus steams, grate the zest of the lemon into a small bowl, then halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice, picking out any seeds. Stir in the mayonnaise, parsley, pepper and salt.
When the asparagus is tender, move the spears to a serving dish and drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the lemon sauce over each portion. Serve warm.