Asparagus Cracker Casserole
A celebration of spring’s best vegetable!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
One of the very best things about spring is fresh asparagus and I’m always trying to get my fill before it’s gone for the season. While I love to eat it simply grilled or roasted and plain, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit, like with this easy casserole. Not only does it feature a ton of fresh asparagus, it also combines it with a creamy, cheesy sauce, and a cracker crumb topping. I don’t know about you, but I never can resist a cracker crumb topping!
What Ingredients Do You Need for Cheesy Asparagus Cracker Casserole?
It’s not a terribly long list and there’s NO cans of soup here.
- Asparagus. Obviously. Two whole pounds.
- Mayo.
- Sharp cheddar cheese. (Though other cheeses will work!)
- Butter.
- Flour.
- Milk.
- Garlic powder and onion powder.
- Butter crackers. Think Ritz.
It’s a LOT of asparagus. But it’s worth it.
How Do You Make Cheesy Asparagus Cracker Casserole?
The first thing to do is prepare your asparagus. Snap or chop off the woody ends and then cut the asparagus into chunks that are about 2-inches in length. Then, toss that with the mayo and the cheese and set it aside.
What you’re doing next is making a thick béchamel sauce to replace a condensed can of soup that other recipes might use. It lends a subtler flavor and reduces any sodium and additives that those cans of soup bring to the party. To make it, just melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the flour. Let the flour cook for just about a minute, whisking constantly. You don’t need to get any color on it, you just want to cook out any raw flour flavor. Then, pour in your milk while whisking constantly, and bring it up to the slightest of simmers. It should be thick by then.
You might have heard you need to gradually whisk in your milk, but that’s not really true. You can pour all the milk in at once, and as long as you whisk vigorously at first and then pretty continuously until you see some bubbles, you’ll have a beautifully smooth béchamel.
Stir in the onion and garlic powder, season the sauce with salt and pepper, and then pour it over the asparagus and stir it all together.
Get that into a baking dish, top it with those crushed crackers, and bake it until they’re golden brown and beautiful. It’s a lovely side dish for special occasion meals but it’s certainly easy enough for an ol’ weeknight!
Asparagus Cracker Casserole
Yield(s): Serves 6-8
10m prep time
1h cook time
Diet: Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs asparagus, ends trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 15 butter crackers, such as Ritz, crushed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the asparagus, mayonnaise, and cheese. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or two, whisking constantly.
- Whisk in the milk and let the sauce come to a simmer, again whisking nearly constantly.
- Once sauce has thickened, stir in onion and garlic powder, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into bowl with asparagus and stir to combine.
- Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with crushed crackers.
- Bake until cheese is bubbly and crackers are golden brown, 40-50 minutes. If desired, broil for 1-2 minutes to further brown the top.
- Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Food 52.