Creamy Baked Asparagus

Only 4 ingredients make this Creamy Baked Asparagus a breeze! It’s quick and easy and perfect even for a holiday dinner.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

I love when asparagus season comes around! Pick up an extra bundle to also make this Lemon Cream Sauce Pasta with Asparagus and Peas, Gnocchi with Pesto, Shrimp and Asparagus, or Ham and Asparagus Quiche.

Living in Utah, you can’t really tell it’s spring by looking outside. One day it will be beautiful and 60 degrees, and the next day there will be snow. But one way I always know it’s spring, though, is when the shelves at the grocery store are stuffed with asparagus!

I really think that asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and I could easily eat a whole bundle of it myself.  I love it roasted, and I love it cooked with a little bit of olive oil and garlic. But I always want to try different ways of preparing it whenever I come across recipes. This recipe is a little bit different, and definitely worth making!

Ingredients:

This recipe only has 4 ingredients!!

1. Asparagus (of course!) – The stalks should be bright green, and the tips should be compact. Thick asparagus will take a little longer to cook than thinner asparagus, so keep that in mind when you go to bake it.
2. Ranch Dressing – This is a surprise ingredient! The ranch dressing is what makes up the creamy aspect, and makes this recipe super simple.
3. Butter Crackers – Crushing the crackers gives this dish lots of great flavor and texture. You’ll want crackers like Ritz crackers or Club crackers.
4. Parmesan Cheese – I use freshly grated Parmesan. If it’s pre-grated, it won’t melt as well.

How to Make Creamy Baked Asparagus

Many baked asparagus recipes have you just roasting the asparagus. This recipe is a little different because you simmer it in a little bit of water to get the cooking going before you bake the asparagus. Here is how you do it:

• TRIM: I do this by taking a spear in my hands, holding it by both ends, and snapping the stalk. Where it naturally breaks is where you need to trim the asparagus. I take the one that I broke and use that as a guide to cut the rest of the asparagus.
• BOIL: Bring about a half inch of water to a boil in a skillet and add the asparagus. Let it cook, stirring it often, until it is bright green, and still crisp. Drain the water.
• TOP: Add the ranch dressing, transfer to a baking dish, then sprinkle with the crackers and the cheese.
• BAKE: bake until the cheese is melted and browned, 10-15 minutes.

Tips and Tricks:

I like to find asparagus that is about as thick as a pencil. The really thick asparagus will be more woody, and the thinner asparagus just cooks super fast and gets mushy easier. Remember to adjust the boiling/baking time if you do have super thin or super thick asparagus.

This is a dish that really is best when made right before serving, but if you do want to cut some of the time, you can boil the asparagus ahead of time. Then just top and bake before serving.

If you aren’t a huge ranch fan, try a creamy caesar dressing, or another creamy dressing of your choice.

I don’t normally season this with salt, simply because you have so much saltiness from the dressing, crackers and cheese. A good dose of black pepper would probably be fantastic, though!

More Holiday Side Dishes

These Glazed Carrots are a year round favorite, but they are perfect as a holiday side dish, as well!

Both colorful and flavorful, these Sauteed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes only take 20 minutes, and they don’t use the oven.

These Roasted Brussels Sprouts have bacon in them, so you know they’ll be good!

If you are looking for a more classic way to make asparagus, try this Roasted Asparagus recipe.

Always a favorite, you can never go wrong when you serve Scalloped Potatoes for a holiday meal!

Creamy Baked Asparagus

5 from 1 vote

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Print Pin SaveSaved!

Only 4 ingredients make this Creamy Baked Asparagus a breeze! It’s quick and easy and perfect even for a holiday dinner.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound asparagus spears trimmed
• ▢ 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• ▢ 1/4 cup coarsely crushed buttery crackers such as Ritz - about 6 crackers
• ▢ 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Bring about half an inch of water to a boil in a skillet. Add the asparagus and cook for about 2-3 minutes - it should be bright green and still crisp. Drain the water.
• Toss the asparagus with the ranch dressing, and place in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the cracker crumbs and then the cheese.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly brown and the asparagus is heated through.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Kraft

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 126kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 8g (3%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 7mg (2%), Sodium: 204mg (9%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 3g (3%)

Keywords: asparagus, baked asparagus, holiday recipe, side dish, spring recipe