Pan-Fried Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts is amazing and this delicious asparagus recipe is quick and easy to make! And everyone who likes asparagus and Gorgonzola Cheese is going to love this for a low-carb side dish.
PIN the Pan-Fried Asparagus to try it later!
When I first made this Pan-Fried Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts, I said on the Kalyn’s Kitchen Facebook page that it was one of the best tasting things I had ever eaten in my life. Now years later this is still one of my favorite ways to cook asparagus, even though I’ve tried a lot more asparagus recipes since I first made this one. And it’s prime asparagus season right now, so I’m reminding you about this favorite asparagus recipe for my Friday Favorites pick this week!
If you like these ingredients at all you can’t go wrong with amazing pan-fried asparagus covered with creamy melted Gorgonzola and pine nuts! I hope everyone who likes those ingredients will give this a try.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- fresh asparagus
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- large cloves of garlic
- crumbled Gorgonzola
- Pine Nuts (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
What pan should you use for the pan-fried asparagus?
Any large frying pan will work for pan-frying the asparagus, but you will get best results in a pan that’s large enough to cook the asparagus in a single layer.
What if you’re not a fan of Gorgonzola Cheese?
I realize not everyone enjoys the pungent flavor of Gorgonzola cheese. If you’re not a fan of it, I think another creamy cheese like Feta, Goat Cheese, or grated Swiss would also be delicious for this recipe.
What other vegetables could be used instead of asparagus?
My apologies to the asparagus haters for the abundance of asparagus recipes every spring! If you’re one of those people who just can’t get much asparagus love going, I think this recipe would be divine with those thin green beans that you get at Costco. Beans might take slightly longer to cook, but probably not much for the thin ones.
Want more low-carb asparagus recipes?
If you’re an asparagus lover like I am, you might want to check out my Low-Carb and Keto Asparagus Recipes to see more of my favorites; enjoy!
How to make Pan-Fried Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I don’t usually buy pre-crumbled Gorgonzola because it doesn’t last long in the fridge, so if you have a block of Gorgonzola be sure it’s cold before you try to crumble it.
- Toast pine nuts for 1-2 minutes in a small dry pan.
- Cut tough ends off the asparagus and then cut on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long.
- Heat oil in a large pan, add garlic cloves, and cook just until you smell garlic.
- Discard garlic, add asparagus and pan-fry 5-7 minutes, or until asparagus is getting barely tender and slightly starting to brown.
- You can add the gorgonzola while the asparagus is still in the pan if you want it to melt as much as possible, but it looks a little prettier if you plate it immediately and add the gorgonzola on top of the hot asparagus on the plate.
- Sprinkle with pine nuts, season with a tiny bit of salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired, and devour!
More Fabulous Ideas with Asparagus:
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 T olive oil (or slightly more, depending on your pan)
- 4 large cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (see notes)
- 2 T toasted pine nuts
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (see notes)
Instructions
- Crumble the gorgonzola so you have the desired amount, or measure it if you have pre-crumbled Gorgonzola.
- Put a small frying pan on burner and turn heat to high.
- Add pine nuts to dry pan and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until barely turning brown, shaking pan frequently.
- Remove from the pan so they don’t keep cooking. (You can toast the pine nuts while you cook the asparagus if you feel confident with two things cooking at once.)
- Snap one piece of asparagus to see where to cut off the tough ends, then trim all asparagus to that length and cut on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long.
- Put olive oil into large frying pan, turn heat to medium, add garlic and saute about 1 minute, or until you start to smell garlic. (Don’t let it brown or it will make your oil taste bitter rather than delightfully garlicky.)
- Take pan off of heat and remove garlic and discard.
- Put pan back on heat, add asparagus, and pan-fry the asparagus about 5-7 minutes, turning a few times, until asparagus is barely starting to soften and brown slightly.
- Timing will depend completely on how hot your stove burner is; just get a fork and try one piece when you think it seems about done.
- When asparagus is done, immediately plate the asparagus and crumble Gorgonzola over. (I used to crumble the Gorgonzola over the asparagus while it was still in the pan, but it gets a bit messy and now I wait until it’s on the plate.)
- Sprinkle with pine nuts.
- Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as desired.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Use more or less Gorgonzola to taste, depending on how much you like it! I used a little pepper, but not much salt
This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from many other asparagus recipes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 149Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Pan-Fried Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts is a good side dish for any low-glycemic or low-carb diet, including any phase of the South Beach Diet. Both Gorgonzola and pine nuts are high in fat, so keep that in mind if you’re strictly following South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Asparagus Recipes or Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Memories and Historical Notes for This Recipe:
This recipe was first posted as part of Asparagus Aspirations at a no-longer-online blog called Seriously Good, sponsored by blogger Kevin Weeks. Kevin passed away in 2012, and I’m dedicating this recipe to his memory. His insight and cooking expertise were something he shared freely with many people, and he is greatly missed. And he was a blogger I used to “talk to” online quite often in the early days and I always hoped we might meet in person. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
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