Cheesy Asparagus Au Gratin
The dinner table is a canvas; each dish, a brushstroke that contributes to the masterpiece of a meal. When it comes to creating an unforgettable dining experience, every detail counts. There’s a certain rush in discovering and perfecting a gem of a recipe, one that becomes your signature, the dish you’re known for, the one that has everyone coming back for seconds.
For occasions that call for a little extra flair—be it Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas—enter the Cheesy Asparagus Au Gratin, a side dish that marries elegance with ease, showcasing the star vegetable in a velvety, indulgent sauce. This dish not only adds a pop of color and sophistication to your spread but also a rich and complex flavor that is sure to leave your guests impressed and steal their hearts away.
In this article, I’ll share with you the step-by-step process to make a easily make Cheesy Asparagus Au Gratin, its simplicity will quickly make this dish one of your go-to spring recipes! (I may or may not be telling you this from experience :)) The asparagus and shallots are drizzled with a creamy mix of cream cheese and vegetable stock, then topped with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top – sheer comfort-food heaven!
What ingredients do you need to make Cheesy Asparagus au Gratin?
Asparagus
When choosing asparagus, it’s always important to choose firm stalks with tight buds on the tip. If you are not using the asparagus right away, you can add the asparagus in a glass filled with about an inch of water, and store it in the refrigerator – this would make the asparagus last longer.
Shallots
If you don’t have shallots, you can use red onions. Although they have slightly different flavors, the red onion can be used as a substitute, and this casserole would still be as delicious!
Cream Cheese
Depending on the brand, some cream cheeses might be softer and others harder to mix. If the cream cheese is fairly soft, you can add it to the vegetable broth right away. If not, it’s always a good idea to slightly warm the broth on the stove.
Vegetable Broth
You can use any vegetable broth that you like here.
Parmesan and mozzarella
Parmesan and mozzarella are great melting cheeses and give that gorgeous golden brown color when baked. While I recommend using them together, to have the best of both worlds creamy mozzarella and nutty parmesan, you can still make this recipe if you have only one of the cheeses.
Additional spices:
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder are used as seasonings. I like to use regular sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, but you can use whatever you have on hand at the moment.
How do you make Cheesy Asparagus au Gratin?
Ok now, this is a super easy dish to make and it takes no time to make, so pay attention because this is going to go pretty fast.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the ends off of your asparagus. You just want to cut off 2-3 inches of the tough part of the stalk. Also take this time to slice your shallots. If you don’t have shallots, you can use red onion. It’s not exactly the same, but it will do the job.
- Place your asparagus in a 8×8 baking dish, or a small baking dish. I like to take half of the asparagus and face the little tree tops on the outside of the dish, then do the same with the other bunch. This will make it a bit prettier when baking is complete.
- Top with some of your seasonings, then add the shallots to the dish and cover with the remaining seasoning and sit to the side.
- Next you want to start working on your sauce. If your cream cheese is already room temperature and really soft, then you can just mix it with your vegetable broth until it is fairly smooth. If this doesn’t work then just add the cream cheese and vegetable broth to a pot and stir over medium heat until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the asparagus and shallots. Top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is tender and the cheese is bubbly.
Serving suggestions:
This cheesy asparagus au gratin goes perfectly on its own as a light dinner served alongside some sourdough bread and a refreshing salad. But it’s also best served with many different kinds of meat and fish. I love serving it with my Delicious Recipe: Spinach Tomato and Cheese Stuffed Salmon or my Panko Crusted Lamb.
You’ll also love to try:
Asparagus Puff Pastry Squares
One-Skillet Lemon Chicken Rice With Asparagus
Baked Chicken And Rice
Have you tried this recipe?
If you have tried this recipe, please take a moment to rate it 5 stars below. Also, please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on this recipe. You can also stay in touch with me on Instagram (that’s where I hang out the most). Tag me @RosalynnDaniels or #RosalynnDaniels if you post a photo of your dish, and I will share with my audience through Instastories.
Cheesy Asparagus Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Asparagus
- 2 shallots
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 c Parmesan
- 1 c Mozzarella Cheese
- Sauce
- 1/2 c Vegetable Broth
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
- Cut the ends off of your asparagus.
- Place in a baking dish with “tree-like” part of the stalk facing the outside of the dish.
- Place shallots and seasoning on top of the asparagus.
- In a sauce pan melt cream cheese and vegetable broth until completely melted and sauce is smooth.
- Pour sauce over asparagus and shallots.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.
- Enjoy!
Updated 3/25/24
Oh my cheesiness! Our asparagus is just starting to come up so I know what I’ll be making very soon!
Found your beautiful blog from Jess’s How Sweet Eats blog and will be bookmarking tons of your recipes – thank you!
Thank you so much! This stuff does not disappoint! And thank you so much for letting me know that Jess sent you this way. I just adore her!