Asparagus Casserole

Asparagus Casserole

This is one of my favorite holiday dishes from David's side of the family.  I absolutely love it.

I'm going to share with you two ways to make it.

When we lived in Mexico I made a big Thanksgiving meal one year and we had several American families over.  In addition we asked our nanny, Nahila, and her three sisters to join us.  They were really excited to see what an American "Dia de Gracias" was all about.

Nahila's sister, Raquel, fell in love with Asparagus Casserole.  Asparagus isn't plentiful in Mexico, so I surprised her for her birthday with a double batch of Asparagus Casserole instead of a cake.  She was so excited!

Raquel (expecting at the time) is on the left with her sisters Elisa and Nahila

For a party Sunday evening, I made a large batch.  You can easily halve this recipe.

Start by draining two cans of asparagus and laying them in the 9x13 baking dish.

Have your helper slice boiled eggs and arrange them on top of the asparagus.

Crush two sleeves of Ritz crackers and season with salt and pepper.

At this point you can make a white sauce (my preference) or open 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (David's preference).  You'll then alternate layering 1/2 crackers, 1/2 cheddar cheese, and 1/2 white sauce/soup.  Then you cook for 40 minutes at 350.

The white sauce takes a little longer to make, but I love the flavors together.

David shakes his head and says it wouldn't be Asparagus Casserole without cream of mushroom soup.

Your choice!

To make a white sauce, melt 6 Tbsp butter in a saucepan.  Add 6 Tbsp flour and mix well.  Add 2 cups milk and whisk constantly over medium high heat until it becomes a thick sauce.  Season with salt & pepper and a little nutmeg.

As always, my photos don't do the delicious dish justice. 

Also because I had 20+ people over and I'm surprised I even remembered to snap a photo!

Try it sometime - it's really good.

Double click to print recipe as a 5x7 card.

Happy Holidays!