Asparagus with Basil Pesto – Kalyn's Kitchen

Posted by Calin Denny On May 21, 2021

Asparagus With Basil Pesto is a quick and delicious low-carb side dish. Only use purchased pesto if you don’t have fresh basil!

Fix asparagus with basil pesto for a try later!

For this week Favorite Friday After I highlight a very popular recipe Five components On the blog, where I am showing you delicious low-carb recipes with five ingredients or less. This Asparagus with basil pesto It’s the perfect combination that I stumbled upon by chance years ago on the day I ate fresh asparagus and noticed a jar of pesto in the fridge. The pesto turned out to be great with lightly cooked asparagus.

When I put the recipe back on recently to take better photos, the better with my house Basil pesto with lemonSomething I make and always freeze when my garden has an abundance of basil. But even if you use it Kirkland Basil Pesto Or another brand of purchased pesto, if you love these ingredients, I promise it will become one of your favorite ways to cook asparagus.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

Salt (for asparagus cooking water)
Fresh asparagus
Basil Pesto
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

What is pesto?

Pesto It is an Italian specialty that originated in Genoa, Italy where it was used as a fresh sauce on hot pasta. Traditional Pesto Genovese Made with fresh basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese (or both), but pesto has evolved into a fresh sauce with countless variations. My personal favorite (and the one I attend every year when I have a lot of fresh basil) is Basil pesto with lemonAnd this is what I would have used in this recipe if I had some in the freezer. Pesto is used in a variety of ways nowadays, as check-out Low carb and keto recipes with pesto sauce For more delicious ideas to use basil pesto!

How to make asparagus with basil pesto:

(Scroll down for a complete recipe with nutritional information.)

When I have a lot of basil, I prepare large quantities of pesto and freeze them in small muffin tins; Then I close the cubes Provide food Bags (continued link) so it’s easy to use a few bags when I need some pesto! If you are using frozen pesto, try to take it out about 30 minutes before preparing the recipe. (You can definitely use purchased pesto if pesto making isn’t happening in your world!)
Start in a pot of salted boiling water; Then prune the asparagus and cut it diagonally into short 2-inch long pieces.
When the water boils, add asparagus and cook for no more than 3 minutes (time and test piece!)
Drain hot asparagus in a sieve in the sink.
Once the asparagus has dried well, place it in a bowl and add pesto. Let it melt for a minute or two. Then mix asparagus with pesto.
Serve immediately with a pinch of salt and pepper if desired! Yum!

More favorite ways to cook asparagus from Calin:

My favorite low-carb, keto asparagus recipes
Barely cooked asparagus with lemon mustard sauce
Asparagus with tahini cream sauce and peanuts
Grilled asparagus with parmesan
Asparagus with melted gorgonzola and pine nuts

Ingredients

1 tsp. Salt (for asparagus cooking water)
1 pound fresh asparagus (or a little more)
1/4 cup pesto basil (see notes)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

instructions

Fill a medium saucepan with water, add a generous amount of salt (as if you are salting water for pasta) and bring to a boil.
Make sure the asparagus is clean, then cut the end of one piece to see where the woody stems start.
Cut the other pieces of asparagus this size, then cut the asparagus on the diagonal into chunks about 2 inches long.
When the water boils, add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Do not overcook, use a timer!
When the asparagus is soft but still somewhat fluffy, strain it in a colander placed in the sink.
When the water dries up, place the hot asparagus in a bowl. Add the pesto and let it thaw for a minute or two.
Then stir asparagus with pesto and serve immediately.

Notes

I used Basil pesto with lemon, But purchased pesto would also work fine for this!

A recipe that Calin prepared when she had leftover pesto in the fridge and some lovely fresh asparagus.

Nutrition information:

fruit:

Serving Size:

Amount per serving:

Calories: 106Total fat: 8 gramsSaturated fat: 2 gramsUnsaturated fats: 0 gramsUnsaturated fats: 6 gramsCholesterol: 4 mgsodium: 676 mgCarbohydrates: 6 gramsthe basic: 2 gramssugar: 2 gramsprotein: 4 grams

Feed information is calculated automatically by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a dietitian and I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, because so many variables affect these calculations.

Low-carb diet / low-glycemic diet / South Beach diet suggestions:
This is the perfect side dish for any low-carb, keto, or low-glycemic diet and all stages of the original South Beach diet. If you follow South Beach strictly, you might want a little pesto.

Find more recipes like these:
Uses Side dishes To find more recipes like this one Recipes according to the type of diet indicator To find more suitable recipes for a particular eating plan. You can too Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest To see all the good recipes I share there.

Historical notes for this recipe:
Asparagus with Basil Pesto was first published in 2007 (!) And was last updated in 2021.