Barley Free Steamed Asparagus with Olive Oil & Lemon
Fresh asparagus gets the treatment it truly deserves here — steamed just until bright green and tender, then finished with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a bright hit of fresh lemon juice. It's the kind of side dish that looks effortlessly elegant on a platter but comes together in under ten minutes with almost no prep. The optional lemon zest scattered over the top takes the citrus flavor from subtle to genuinely vibrant, so don't skip it if you have a lemon on hand. Every ingredient in this recipe is naturally free from grains and grain derivatives, so there's zero label-reading stress — just clean, whole produce and good olive oil. Asparagus can sometimes feel like a restaurant-only vegetable, but steaming it at home gives you total control over texture, and that 4-to-6-minute window is the sweet spot between limp and perfectly crisp-tender. Serve it immediately straight from the platter and it will disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 ½ lb fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped off
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pour about 1 inch of water into a large skillet or wide saucepan and set a steamer basket inside. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 2
Arrange the asparagus in the steamer basket in a single layer. Cover and steam until the spears are bright green and just tender when pierced at the thickest point with a paring knife, 4–6 minutes for medium spears or 6–7 minutes for thick spears.
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