As a kid, most of the times I ever ate asparagus it was steamed with a bit of butter on top. But, as an adult I now know that asparagus can be made a lot of different ways. And, instead of diluting the flavor of these stalk-y vegetables, pairing them with savory proteins and spices can bring out the best in them. For this asparagus pie, there’s no traditional crust, but there is a ton of flavor in this easy recipe.
To make a sort fo flour-free crust grease your pie pan with butter, then sprinkle some parmesan cheese. Then a mixture of Gruyère cheese, asparagus, and green onion goes on top of the cheese “crust”.
Then the filling of the pie is a very quiche-like mixture of flour, eggs, spices, half and half, and dijon mustard. After you carefully pour this on top of the asparagus then comes the fun part of making a design on top of the pie. I love that the topping signals what’s inside- so quaint and yet festive somehow.
It’s a wonderful display of asparagus, a plant that’s been eaten in Europe since at least the Roman times. And, dijon goes well with this veggie as in dijon Hollandaise (called Sauce Dijon) served over steamed asparagus in French cooking.
Once this is out of the oven you’re left with a hearty pie akin to a quiche, but loaded with cheesy flavor and the unique taste of fresh asparagus. And, this is a great recipe for a Meatless Monday, too!
Asparagus Pie
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 2 cups fresh chopped asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch pieces and divided
- 2 green onions, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350˚F with rack on lowest level. Grease a 9” round baking dish generously with butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine Gruyere, most of the asparagus, and green onion. Spread mixture over bottom of pie pan.
- In the empty bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add remaining butter, eggs, half and half, and mustard and combine until uniform in color.
- Slowly pour egg mixture over asparagus and sprinkle with cayenne pepper.Top with remaining asparagus to create a pattern on top if desired. Bake for 35 minutes or until pie is set and top is just turning golden brown. If top gets too brown too quickly cover with foil part way through baking.
- Allow pie to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe adapted from Saving Dessert.