Lallys Southern Traditional Asparagus Casserole Recipes

ASPARAGUS GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with oven rack about 6 inches from heat.
• Toss together asparagus and shallot in a 10-inch broiler-safe skillet or 8-inch square broiler-safe baking dish.
• Stir together cream, mustard, flour, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the fontina. Pour over asparagus, and using tongs, gently toss to coat asparagus. Top with Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup fontina, and bake in preheated oven until asparagus is almost tender-crisp and cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil, and broil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a casserole dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add asparagus, mushrooms, and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Gradually stir in milk. Cook until thickened.
• Reduce heat to low and mix in mayonnaise, sour cream, both cheeses, salt, lemon pepper, and paprika. Remove from heat.
• Crush about 1/3 of the can of french-fried onions and mix them into the asparagus mixture.
• Transfer mixture to prepared casserole dish.
• Sprinkle remaining french-fried onions on top.
• Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the asparagus to a large pot of boiling water, keeping the bundles together with rubber bands or string. Cook for a couple of minutes; the asparagus should be bright green and still crunchy. List the bundles out of the water and slice off the tough ends of the asparagus. Drop the trimmed ends back in the boiling water and lower to a simmer.
• Run the asparagus tops under cold water to stop the cooking.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and 1 cup of the asparagus cooking liquid. Add the salt and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the grated Cheddar and cook, stirring, until melted, about 1 minute.
• Arrange the asparagus in the bottom of a 9-by-12-by-2-inch baking dish, alternating the stem ends so each serving includes both heads and stems. Thinly slice the hard-boiled eggs and arrange them over the asparagus. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggs and asparagus and sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbles appear around the edges, about 20 minutes.

ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, and then whisk in the milk and the asparagus liquid. Add the salt and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the grated cheese and stir until it's melted, about 1 minute.
• Arrange the asparagus in the bottom of a 9 x 12 x 2-inch baking dish, alternating the stem ends so each serving includes both heads and stems. Thinly slice the eggs and arrange them over the asparagus. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggs and asparagus and sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and bubbles appear around the edges.
• From Beth
• You can substitute fresh asparagus for canned, but be sure to trim the tough ends and steam before using. Because you won't have any extra asparagus liquid from the can, use 2 cups milk.
• From Gwen
• Using the liquid from the canned asparagus intensifies the flavor of the sauce.

ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the upper third. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; prepare an ice bath. Add asparagus and cook until just tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath; drain.
• Return pot to medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes; remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard rendered fat or reserve for another use. Add butter to same pot and heat over medium until foamy. Add onion, nutmeg, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in mustard, then gradually whisk in milk and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. (You should have about 2 cups bechamel.) If not using right away, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce to keep a film from forming.
• Spread 1 cup bechamel evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch-square baking dish. Reserving 1 cup for topping, sprinkle remaining asparagus over bechamel. Arrange reserved bacon in an even layer on top, followed by the sliced eggs, cracker crumbs and remaining bechamel. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup asparagus down the center of the casserole, then sprinkle the cheese evenly on top and season with black pepper. Bake until sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Turn oven to broil setting and continue to cook until golden-brown on top, 3 to 4 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes on a wire rack before serving.