Grilled Asparagus in Foil has just a few ingredients and big delicious flavors. It’s so easy to prepare and throw on the grill alongside your main course for outdoor spring and summer meals.
It’s amazing how even wrapped in foil, this asparagus takes on a subtle smoky flavor from the grill.
That, combined with lemon, makes for an absolutely fantastic side dish.
The fresh bright flavor is perfect for spring and summer.
About the Ingredients
- asparagus - This recipe calls for skinny asparagus (also called thin or Pencil asparagus), which makes the grilling time very quick. You can use any thickness of asparagus for the recipe, just be aware that the thicker it is, the longer the grilling time will be. Asparagus season is approximately February through June, peaking in April. Choose bright green, firm spears.
- lemon - Use Meyer lemons over regular lemons when given the option. Meyer lemons are a touch less tart and a touch sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy. Substitutions: You can use limes or oranges as substitutions.
- olive oil - I use olive oil in this recipe to keep it light, but you can switch it out for melted butter if you'd like.
Grilling Asparagus in Foil
The preparation for this recipe is quite simple, which makes it ideal to throw on the grill with other things like Mediterranean Grilled Steak, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, or whatever you fancy.
- Wash and dry the asparagus, and then snap or cut off the bottom few inches. Then toss it in olive oil with salt, pepper and lemon slices.
- Wrap it in foil and place it on a hot grill. Grill for about 7 minutes, flipping it over about halfway through. (How long to grill asparagus in foil will vary, depending on the thickness of the spears.)
Recipe Tip: I love adding slices of lemon to the asparagus because in the foil packet they become very soft and the flavor mellows. You can actually eat them without the overpowering sour flavor. That said, if you prefer, you can mix about 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice into the asparagus when you add the oil.
(More detailed instructions are below.)
More Must-Try Spring and Summer Asparagus Recipes
I hope you love this method of grilling asparagus in foil as much as I do.
Grilled Asparagus in Foil with Lemon
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds skinny asparagus (also called thin or pencil), washed and dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small to medium-sized lemon, washed and dried, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the asparagus. Cut the bottom few inches (the tough portion), off of the asparagus spears and discard. You can actually "snap" the ends off with your hands -- it almost always breaks right where it should.
- Combine ingredients. Add the asparagus to a sheet pan and toss the spears with the olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon slices.
- Wrap in foil and grill. Divide the asparagus into four portions. Lay out four large pieces of foil (at least a couple of inches larger than the pile of asparagus, which will not be a single layer. ) Place each portion on a sheet of foil and top each one with another piece. Crimp the edges of the foil together to seal them. Do not wrap it tightly -- there should be some air in the packet. Each pile will ultimately be a few layers of the asparagus.
- Grill and serve. Preheat an outdoor barbecue or stove-top grill. The flame should be high-medium to heat it. Once it's hot, add the foil packets and grill for about 7 minutes. After about 4 minutes, flip them over and turn the heat dow low-medium. Open the packets carefully as there will be steam inside. Serve!
NOTES
NUTRITION
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David Scott Allen
Looks like a wonderful recipe - and that asparagus is gorgeous! Definitely need to try grilling it in the foil packets - the lemon is the perfect touch to make it special!
valentina
Thanks, David. I can't get enough asparagus during the spring. 🙂 ~Valentina