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Italian Asparagus Sticks

December 13, 2010

First and foremost, weelicious is about recipes for kids -- or at least that was the intention when I started this website for little ones almost four years ago. I dreamt of coming up with meal ideas that would appeal to kids and inspire them to eat foods that are not only good for them, but that taste delicious at the same time. Something has happen along the way, though. I've realized that we're all kids at heart and even adults love the idea of food that comes in interesting shapes, has bright colors, unique flavors or an engaging aspect to them.

So, did I make these Italian Aspargus Sticks for: my kids or me and my hubby? The kids and I had these tasty asparagus stick creations for dinner one night and we loved every bite. I never know how the kids will react to certain vegetables, but the taste and presentation of these sticks are so appealing that it’s hard for even the most finicky eater to resist them. Tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, Kenya and Chloe loved dipping the asparagus in the tomato sauce I served with it on the side and kept remarking, "there so crunchy, Mommy!" As I do with most recipes, I double what I make and freeze half in order to have plenty for another night, but my planning was all for naught. When my husband got home from work later that night, I sat with him while he ate our leftovers. He ate them all and wanted more so I popped the frozen ones in the oven to toast them up for him. The next thing I noticed, they were all gone! So much for being prepared for a future meal.

It's good to know that no matter what our age we can all enjoy the same foods and always remember it's great to be a kid at heart!

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Italian Asparagus Sticks  (Serves 4)

  • Prep Time:10 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes,
  • Total Time: 45 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat panko or bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon italian herbs (you can find them in any grocery’s spice section)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and stems removed (if you snap the asparagus down towards the bottom, they will naturally break at the woody part at the bottom)

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. 2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
  3. 3. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl.
  4. 4. Place the flour in another bowl.
  5. 5. Make an assembly line with the bowls. Dip the asparagus first into the flour, then the egg and finally into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly and repeating with all the sticks.
  6. 6. Place all of the coated sticks on the baking sheet/rack. Arrange so they’re not touching, spray lightly with oil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden.
  7. 7. Serve with Weelicious Tomato Sauce
  8. *IF FREEZING: after step 5, place sticks on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and place in a Ziploc bag. Label and freeze. When ready to eat – remove from freezer and put sticks in the oven, adding at least another 3-5 minutes baking time.

Accompaniments: Tomato Sauce

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Comments






  1. SaraO

    December 31, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Reply

    My son is allergic to egg. Any way these could be done without egg? They sound like so much fun; I know both of my boys wold love them!

    • catherine

      January 2, 2013 at 10:55 am

      Reply

      The egg helps everything stick together! It would probably be okay to omit the egg. They just might be a little more delicate.

  2. Sarah

    September 9, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Reply

    These will be supper tonight!

  3. Kendra

    July 12, 2012 at 1:51 am

    Reply

    Oh…my…goodness! I’m totally making these tomorrow!

    And MAYBE I’ll share with my little guy & hubby :)

  4. Canada

    April 14, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    Reply

    These turned out absolutely fabulous! I called them “Asparagus Fries” for my 4 year old son and when we shared them he loved them too. We dipped them in a bit of ketchup. SO good!

    • Canada

      April 14, 2012 at 11:28 pm

      Reply

      By the way, Catherine, you seem to have terrific taste in food and design of great recipes as I have tried MANY of your recipes and every single one has come out delicious! Both my picky son and hubby love it. My 4 year old son loves watching Kenya in the kitchen with you and gets inspired.

  5. Heather D

    April 10, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Reply

    Just tried this and it was sooooo tasty! The asparagus was easy to coat and bake. So funny I never saw this in any restaurants. Its always zucchini or green beans. I prefer this!

    Yes, this would be perfect to serve at a party since the pieces are big… good finger food! THANKS FOR SHARING!

  6. Jen Booth

    April 5, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    Reply

    These sound great! I would be interested in seeing them done with a “gluten free” crust. Maybe rice chex cereal instead of the panko?

    • Canada

      April 14, 2012 at 11:26 pm

      Reply

      We used Kamut wheat free bread crumbs, not gluten free I think but at least wheat free.

  7. willie

    January 10, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    Reply

    I will try this recipe. My family has never tried asparagus, but this sounds yumie.:)

  8. janer451

    January 1, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    Reply

    I love this recipe … hoping eventually my son does too (he’s stuck on broccoli right now). Made them today using flaxseed/water sub for the eggs, since I found, after starting of course, that I didn’t have any eggs on hand. Worked great – just as yummy!

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  10. meredith

    May 27, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    Reply

    These were so easy and delicious. So crunchy! Another weelicious success!

  11. Rebeca @ The Average Parent

    March 15, 2011 at 9:57 pm

    Reply

    here in indiana, asparagus season is just around the corner and I think this would be a great way to take advantage of the bounty. I belong to a freezer cooking group that I think would love this idea too!

  12. Alyssa

    February 24, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    Reply

    I don’t know what the heck I did wrong here. I set my oven to 450 and they were burnt to a crisp within 10 minutes. =(

    • Melissa

      March 3, 2011 at 6:30 pm

      Reply

      Mine only take about 10-15 minutes — not anywhere near Catherine’s 30-35 minutes. I just keep an eye on them and pull them out when the coating turns golden brown.

    • catherine

      February 24, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      Reply

      hmm, every oven is different. Try baking them at 400 and let me know how they turn out :)

  13. Melissa

    February 23, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Reply

    The first time I made these, I vowed I would never make them again because it took FOREVER to run all of the sticks through my little assembly line. But then I tasted them, and they were so yummy!!

    The second time I made them, I sped things up a lot by putting the different stations into gallon-size ziploc bags instead of bowls. I could put the whole bunch of asparagus in together into the flour and then the egg, and then did about 10 sticks at a time into the coating. SO MUCH FASTER, and no loss in quality!

  14. Alina

    January 31, 2011 at 12:51 am

    Reply

    We made these last week, they turned out perfect and my kids loved them and there was no coaxing needed. They were so nummy :)

  15. Diane

    December 22, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    Reply

    I can’t WAIT to try these!! We can’t do eggs or milk in our house. Any suggestions to what else we could use instead of the egg? I do have that fake egg substitute that I will try if no other suggestions.

    Thank you!

    • catherine

      December 23, 2010 at 5:52 pm

      Reply

      Let me know how the fake egg substitute goes!:)

  16. Pingback: Italian Asparagus Sticks « Topicco – Find, Read, Share

  17. retro sweets

    December 14, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    Reply

    Wow, the only things I did with asparagus was to make them into soups or stir fries. Asparagus stick, now that’s a very unique idea. My toddler is a slow eater too and even if he will eat veggies because I remind him that it has vitamins, I really need a break from all the convincing and talking just to get hi to eat. I’ll go to the farmer’s market tomorrow and get asparagus.

  18. ally

    December 13, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    Reply

    yum! can’t wait to try these! i noticed that several of your recipes call for freezing before baking. what is the difference if i baked then freeze? i’ve done this with other recipes and the food still tastes great.

    • catherine

      December 14, 2010 at 5:33 pm

      Reply

      You get a better outcome when you freeze before baking. Freezing baked veggies will not be as good as freezing fresh then baking. But if it works for you then right on!

  19. Liz - Meal Makeover Mom

    December 13, 2010 at 12:50 pm

    Reply

    Great looking recipe … and I loved your video. So easy. I am definitely going to try these with my family. Asparagus is always a favorite (maybe it’s because my boys can pick them up and eat them …. no fork required).

  20. Emily @ Random Recycling

    December 13, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Reply

    Great idea! My daughter, who is almost 2, LOVES asparagus. I’m looking forward to testing this out with her.

  21. Kat

    December 13, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Reply

    These look great for a party! Did you have any concern that the asparagus inside the coating would come out of the oven mushy?

    • catherine

      December 14, 2010 at 5:37 pm

      Reply

      No, they were perfect!

  22. Melissa

    December 13, 2010 at 8:25 am

    Reply

    These sound similar to zucchini coins which my son loves. Adding a little crunch to the outside always makes him more likely eat something!

  23. Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama}

    December 13, 2010 at 7:35 am

    Reply

    These look delicious! Another great recipe; thanks. :-)



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