May 2026 – Asparagus
Leek, Asparagus & Herb Soup
Kay Weaver, Lititz
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium leeks (about 1½ cups), washed well and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ lb. new Yukon gold, red or white potatoes, diced
2¼ cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears (about 3½ to 4 cups), trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
½ cup fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives, divided
½ to ¾ cup half and half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sour cream or crème fraîche, for garnish
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the potatoes and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the broth and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Turn heat to medium and add asparagus and peas; cover and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, dill, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the chives.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth, being careful with the hot liquid and not filling the blender too high. An immersion blender can also be used.
Return the soup to the pan and add the half and half; bring to a low simmer, stirring often. Add the lemon juice and taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed.
Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with the sour cream and sprinkle with the remaining chives. Leftover soup will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, but may lose some of the vibrant green color.
Makes 6 servings.
Lemony Asparagus & New Potatoes
Pat Roth, Ephrata
12 oz. fresh asparagus spears
8 tiny new potatoes, cut into quarters
2 teaspoons olive oil or cooking oil
½ teaspoon lemon peel, finely shredded
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
Snap off and discard the woody stems from the asparagus. Scrape off the scales if preferred. Cut the asparagus into 2” pieces. Set aside.
In a 2 quart covered saucepan, cook the new potatoes in a small amount of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus; cover and cook for about 8 minutes or until the asparagus are crisp tender. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a serving dish.
For the dressing, stir together the oil, lemon peel, salt and thyme in a small bowl. Add the vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Serve warm.
Makes about 4 servings.
Chilled Marinated Asparagus
Pat Roth, Ephrata
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 lbs. fresh asparagus
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, lemon juice and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cool.
In a large skillet, bring ½” of water to a boil. Add the asparagus; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the asparagus are crisp tender.
Drain the asparagus and rinse in cold water. Put the asparagus in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade, seal the bag and turn to coat the asparagus. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard the marinade. Put the asparagus on a platter and sprinkle with the pecans.
French Fried Asparagus
Pat Roth, Ephrata
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 eggs, beaten
1½ cups fine dry breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. If desired, remove the scales with a knife or a vegetable peeler. Cook the asparagus, covered in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until the asparagus are crisp tender. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter or margarine in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the salt.
Dip each asparagus spear in the white sauce, dredge in the Parmesan cheese, dip in the egg and coat with the breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil, about 375°F, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Creamed Ham & Asparagus
Gloria Dougherty, Akron
1 lb. fresh or frozen asparagus, cut into 1” pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1½ to 2 cups of milk
1½ lb. fully cooked ham, cubed
8 oz. or 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
toast or English muffin
In a small saucepan, cook the asparagus with a small amount of water until crisp tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Gradually add the milk. Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; add the ham, cheese, eggs, parsley and asparagus. Cook and stir until the ham is warmed and the cheese is melted. Serve over toast, English muffin, etc.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Asparagus Casserole
Gloria Dougherty, Akron
“Delicious!”
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 cups cooked asparagus, cut into ½” to 1” pieces
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
buttered breadcrumbs (optional)
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and salt; stir well. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.
In a 9”x9” casserole dish, combine the sauce mixture with the asparagus and eggs. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Top with buttered breadcrumbs if desired. Bake at 375°F until warm and bubbly.
Baked Asparagus Dip
Stephanie Trowbridge, Stevens
“Easy and delicious.”
1 lb. fresh asparagus, diced, cooked and drained
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup mayonnaise
Combine the asparagus, Parmesan and mayonnaise in a large bowl; fold to combine. Transfer the mixture to a greased ovenproof bowl or dip crock.
Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm with snack rye bread, pita chips, or crusty French bread.
Asparagus Bits
Mary Ann Dell, East Earl
20 slices thin white bread, crusts trimmed
3 oz. blue cheese, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg, beaten
20 fresh or frozen asparagus spears
½ lb. butter, melted
Flatten the bread sliced with a rolling pin. Blend the blue cheese, cream cheese and egg well. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on each slice of bread.
Steam asparagus until crisp. Roll an asparagus spear inside each bread slice, securing with a toothpick. Dip each rolled spear into the melted butter to coat; place on a cookie sheet and freeze.
When the spears are firm, slice into bite sized pieces. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Serves 20. Yields approximately 75 bite sized pieces.
Asparagus Casserole
Mary Ann Dell, East Earl
15 oz. can asparagus, drained and chopped
2 oz. jar pimento, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed into breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine the asparagus, pimento, cheese, Ritz cracker crumbs, eggs, butter, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix well. Scoop the mixture into a greased baking dish.
Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.
Grandma’s Asparagus Casserole
Mary Ann Dell, East Earl
5 potatoes, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 cups asparagus
½ cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of cheese
Layer the potatoes, onions and asparagus in a baking dish. Dot with butter; season with salt and pepper.
Bake, covered, at 325°F for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.
Serves 6 to 8.
Easy Asparagus Bake
Rachel Hoover, Ephrata
6 cups asparagus, chopped
7 tablespoons butter, divided
5 tablespoons flour
¾ cup milk
¾ cup asparagus cooking water
¾ cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup cheese
¾ cup cracker crumbs
Cook the asparagus in water until slightly tender; reserve the cooking water. In a saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons of the butter and blend in the flour. Add in the milk and cooking water; cook until thickened. Add the mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
In a 2 quart baking dish, arrange a layer of asparagus, eggs and cheese. Cover this with half of the sauce mixture; repeat layers.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and combine with the cracker crumbs. Top the asparagus layers with the cracker crumbs. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Rachel Hoover, Ephrata
3 cups asparagus, chopped
4 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
Cook the asparagus in water until tender. Saute the onions in the butter; stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until thickened.
Puree the aspargus in a blender with the cooking water. Add the blended asparagus to the sauce and heat, but do not boil.