Asparagus with Vegan Cheese Sauce is a quick, easy, and amazingly delicious side dish. It’s meal prep friendly, too. Just make the BEST Vegan Cheese Sauce ahead of time, and use it all week in meals, snacks, and to top veggies like this asparagus!
Asparagus is such an easy vegetable to make. We should eat it more often for this reason alone. It’s quick and easy and takes only 3-4 minutes in boiling water to be tender and ready to eat. For weekly meal prep, simply blanch asparagus spears and leave them in the fridge to use throughout the week in pasta dishes and salads. So delicious!
How to make them
When it comes to cooking asparagus, blanching is my go-to method. We always seem to eat more asparagus in the winter months (I have no idea why, since it’s plentiful in the summer). I think it’s because we associate it with special occasions like it’s some kind of big fancy dinner vegetable. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing how weird we are about not eating a vegetable that we love as a regular thing.
But, since winter holidays equal asparagus in our house, blanching and then a quick pan fry is how we do it. Blanching is simply a quick boil followed by an ice bath or a rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. We can blanch lots of veggies, and it’s a really great (easy) method to get the best asparagus spear texture every single time.
After blanching the asparagus, an ice bath is the best way to stop the cooking process quickly. I totally admit to scrambling at the last minute and just rinsing it under cold water, though. It’s not as thorough as an ice bath, but if you can be a bit flexible about the exact texture of the finished product, it does the trick in a pinch. If you want to get super organized, prepare your ice bath ahead of time!
The BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
This sauce really is the BEST. I know, I know… everything is THE BEST according to food blog titles. But every now and then, it’s true! This cheese sauce is made with a base of potatoes, carrots, and cashews. It’s oil-free and silky smooth. And it tastes just like that gooey nacho cheese sauce you get at sports arenas or convenience stores. The one where they press a button on a machine that squeezes the cheesy goodness onto a mountain of tortilla chips. Yup, that’s this stuff. But even better. Here’s the link again, in case you missed it above: The BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.
More delicious vegan recipes
- Healthy Tomato Basil Soup
- GF Breaded Lemon Chickpeas – Asian Inspired
- Easy Classic Vegan Tacos
- Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
If you try this Asparagus with Vegan Cheese Sauce, let us know what you think! Leave a comment or rating below, and follow up on Instagram for more vegan recipes #plantednoshery. However you found our little slice of the food world, we are so glad you’re here. Enjoy!
Asparagus with Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Asparagus spears, bottoms trimmed
- 1 batch BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce see notes for link
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Sea salt
- 2 tsp Lemon juice optional
- 1 tsp Paprika optional for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare a batch of our BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce (see notes for link). We like to meal prep this cheese sauce for the week and this recipe is a delicious way to use it up!
- Boil a shallow pot or deep pan of water (just enough to cover the bunch), and add the trimmed asparagus spears once it reaches a rolling boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes.
- Poke a spear with a fork to test its tenderness after 3 minutes. If you like a more al-dente asparagus with a crisper texture you'll likely want to remove them now. If you like a more tender bite of asparagus, leave them in the boiling water for another minute.
- Remove the asparagus spears after 3-4 minutes, and drain any excess water well. Then submerge the asparagus spears in an ice bath for another 3-4 minutes until they have completely cooled.
- In a pan, heat up the olive oil over medium heat and add the cooled asparagus. Season with sea salt and (optional) lemon juice. Warm up the asparagus spears for a minute or two, and then remove from the heat.
- Place the asparagus spears on a plate for serving, and top with Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce and an optional sprinkle of paprika. Serve immediately and Enjoy!
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