These Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries were inspired by a recent Michigan asparagus tour. They are an excellent healthy side dish for any summer barbecue or weekday dinner!

Recently I had the unique opportunity to participate in a Michigan asparagus tour. It was my first tour focusing on produce and it just happened to be centered around one of my favorite vegetables.

I learned a ton of surprising facts about Michigan asparagus and how it’s harvested.

This Michigan asparagus tour began at a packing facility where asparagus is cleaned and prepped. Then its ready to be sold to processors for either fresh or processed (frozen/canned) distribution.

Next, we visited a local asparagus farm where we saw the real action of laborers harvesting the asparagus spears.

Hard work to say the least!

We ended our visit at the Michigan Asparagus Industry Research Farm. They are constantly testing different varieties of asparagus to help grow the best crop.

10 Fun Facts About Asparagus

Michigan is the only place you will find asparagus “hand snapped.” Anywhere else in the world harvesters chop the asparagus at its base.
- The advantage of snapping the asparagus is you are able to get the entire edible product which makes it an extremely efficient method.
Asparagus grows 1/2 inch per hour!
The ideal length to snap asparagus is 10 – 12 inches.
There are over 140 varieties of asparagus. Who knew?!
Michigan ranks second in the nation for asparagus production due to its rich sandy soil.
Harvesting asparagus (picking it from the fields) is extremely hard work!
- Asparagus farmers have quite the difficult time finding labors to pick asparagus.
It takes 6 to 7 years for asparagus to grow from seed to full crop.
Ideal temperature for asparagus is around 50 – 73 degrees.
A frost can cause asparagus farms to lose about 10 – 15% of their crops in a season.
In the beginning of the season you’ll find the larger (jumbo size) asparagus, followed by the standard size, then pencil size.
- The sizing difference is due to the nutrients in the ground from when they are dormant throughout the winter.

We ended the day with a delicious spread of asparagus recipes made by one of my favorite chefs, Chef Paul.

Here’s one of my favorite recipes he created, asparagus cigars.

He also made asparagus hummus, shaved asparagus salad, asparagus creme brûlée and many more!

If you’d like to try some of these amazing recipes, visit the Michigan Asparagus website.

And as you’ll see below, the event was inspirational for me to make my own asparagus recipe, these asparagus fries.

Dietitian’s Dish

Asparagus includes:

Less than 4 calories per spear
Potassium: helps nerves and muscles communicate and regulate blood pressure
Thiamin: important for energy metabolism
Vitamin B6: which helps your body make antibodies and regulate blood sugars

Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries

Crispy asparagus fries that are baked not fried!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Ingredients

12 jumbo asparagus spears
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Asiago, Romano blend grated cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
salt and black pepper to taste
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Place flour on one large plate. On a second plate combine Panko crumbs, cheese, onion powder, parsley flakes, salt and black pepper.
Scramble eggs and water in a large bowl.
Dip each asparagus spear in the flour, then the egg and then coat with Panko crumb cheese mixture.
Place asparagus on baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Notes

Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dip.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated to write this post, however lodging and meals were provided for the tour by the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board. And as always, all the opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.

This Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.

Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries [and Asparagus Tour]