Parmesan asparagus pastry twists are cool looking appetizers ready in less than 30 minutes. Wrap asparagus in puff pastry, sprinkle with Parmesan, bake and enjoy!
These parmesan asparagus pastry twists are pretty addictive. Mix up your favorite dip to go with them and your guests won’t stop eating them.
In my opinion, puff pastry appetizers are the easiest appetizers to make and crowds love them. You can use puff pastry to make sweet or savory snacks and bites from mini pizzas, empanadas, pockets filled with your favorite fillings to sweet turnovers or pinwheels.
The options are limitless, guys. Just so you know these puff pastry twists are only the first of many puff pastry appetizer recipes coming on the blog.
Now if you want to impress your guests I highly recommend trying mango chicken puffs. They are my absolute favorites!
And if you are planning a party these baked buffalo chicken wings should also be on your menu, altogether with roasted garlic jalapeno dip I guarantee you, your guests will love those.
How to make Parmesan asparagus pastry twists
Let’s divide the whole process into 5 simple steps:
Step 1: Asparagus – wash, trim & season.
Step 2: Puff pastry – un-roll/un-fold it, cut into thin strips.
Step 3: Assembling – wrap each asparagus spear in a strip of puff pastry & place onto a baking sheet.
Step 4: Egg wash & Parmesan – brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Step 5: Bake!
This recipe is very easy and pretty quick. As you can see, there are no special skills needed.
Expert tips
- I always use a ready-rolled chilled rectangular puff pastry because that is what I get in my local supermarket. This is a 10-ounce (275-grams) sheet with dimensions: 14x10 inches (36x26 centimeters). Now don’t worry if you don’t have the same weight or shape of the pastry. As long as you can cut strips out of it, you are good to go. Also, the amount of pastry you use can vary. This will depend on how thick or long you cut it, also how thick your asparagus spears are.
- To make 24 pastry twists I used about ⅔ of the pastry.
- Note that every time you might get a different thickness as well as length of asparagus spears. If you buy very thin ones (like a pencil thin) then you might also wrap two of the spears into one pastry strip.
- Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino are all great choices. I recommend grating the cheese yourselves instead of buying ready-grated one to achieve the best flavor!
- I don’t recommend using the very thick asparagus spears (thickness of a thumb or a cigar) as they might not be as tender as the thinner ones. Also they might need longer time in the oven.
Which part of the asparagus do you cut off?
You need to trim off the ends (the thicker parts that are usually pale/brown-ish). The reason behind cutting the ends off is easy – these woody parts don’t taste nice. They are hard and not juicy like the rest of the spears.
Do you need to peel the asparagus spears?
No. There is no need to peel them.
Parmesan Asparagus Pastry Twists
Parmesan asparagus pastry twists are cool looking appetizers ready in less than 30 minutes. Wrap asparagus in puff pastry, sprinkled with parmesan, bake and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 24 asparagus spears (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 pre-rolled puff pastry sheet (see note 2 & 3)
- 1 egg (small to medium)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated (see note 4)
Instructions
- Rinse the asparagus under running water. Cut the hard pale ends off(about 2 inch/5 centimeter). Place the trimmed asparagus spears in a bowl wide enough so they fit in. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss them around or mix with your hands to make sure they are evenly coated.
- Unfold/unroll the puff pastry sheet. Cut it into about ½ inch (1.5 centimeters) strips wide. The length will depend on the length of the spears. Take a strip and wrap it around the asparagus spear, leaving some free space in between. Leave the tip free.
- Place this onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat until you are done. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it to make an egg wash. Brush each asparagus twist with the egg wash (the pastry parts) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F/200°C for 10 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
- Serve them warm on their own or with a dip of your choice.
Notes
- Try to avoid buying very thick asparagus spears. Ideally they should be thicker than a pencil and thinner than your thumb.
- I used pre-rolled chilled rectangular puff pastry. This was a 10-ounce (275 grams) sheet with dimensions: 14x10 inches (36x26 centimeters). Now don’t worry if you don’t have the same weight or shape of the pastry. As long as you can cut strips out of it, you are good to go.
- The amount of pastry you use can vary. This will depend on how thick or long you cut it, also how thick your asparagus spears are. To make 24 twists I used about ⅔ of the pastry.
- Parmesan cheese can be substituted with Grana Padano or Pecorino cheese. Pecorino is quite salty so don’t over-season your asparagus.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 25Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 61mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
Linda says
Can you prepare these a couple hours before you bake them?
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
Hi Linda. Sorry for the late reply. I have not tried it but usually puff pastry performs best when baked shortly after assembling.
carolyn says
Before cutting puff pastry sheets, thinly spread dijon mustard, add prosciutto and cut into thin strips, proceed with the rest of the recipe. Delicious
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
Your version of this easy appetizer sounds delicious, Carolyn. Thanks for letting our readers know!
Kate Smith says
Can't wait to make these for my Easter appetizer!
Esther says
what do you recommend as far a dip of some sort? I see a jar of something on your pic. Thanks-
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
Esther, my favorite is a combo of ketchup, garlic and sour cream (ratios can be easily customized to your liking) or sour cream mixed with Thai sweet chili sauce. Hope this helps!
Andrea P says
Can you used regular pastry dough?
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
I haven't tried it myself, but it's worth giving a shot. Please do let us know if you try it!
D levy says
Could you make these in advance? Store in fridge until ready to bake and serve?
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
That's a good question, D levy. I have never tried it, but I think the puff pastry might lose its ability to puff properly. Also, it can dry out. Now that being said, it would also depend on how much in advance you would like to make them. My advice would be to prep the asparagus and keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge. Then just wrap them in puff pastry before baking. That would be the safest option. I will try it the next time I make these and will update the recipe card, if I have any success. Hope this helps!
Annie says
These were easy to make and delicious to eat. In retrospect, I think the next time I make them I will add garlic powder and/or lemon-pepper seasoning to the salt & pepper that gets mixed with the olive oil. I simply happen to like a heartier seasoning mix. I made these for a tea party and they were the first things consumed! The hostess' college-age son had smelled them baking and was salivating. Unfortunately, as the evening drew to a close the young man wandered back into the kitchen only to discover that we had not saved any for him!! Now I feel guilty enough that I am compelled to bake him his very own batch!
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
🙂 Thanks, Annie for your feedback! I like your suggestions!
Jamielyn Nye says
The perfect appetizer for any occasion! YUM!
Julia says
Thank you!
Lauren Vavala says
These are so fun and yummy! i won't have to fight with my kids to eat their veggies with these!
Julia says
🙂 You definitely won't have to! 🙂
Ellen says
All my favorites, especially puff pastry! What a great appetizer for holiday parties.
Julia says
Thank you, Ellen!
Debra says
Love how you broke it down into 5 easy steps. I can handle that! These are going to be perfect for all the holiday parties we have coming up. Thanks.
Julia says
You are welcome! 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo says
I am pretty sure if I made these it would reform me from not liking asparagus. I love them wrapped in this dough and would love a taste of them!
Julia says
Definitely! 🙂
Dana says
These look so tasty and fun to make! Not to forget to mention that it's a super easy appetizer to put together!
Julia says
Thanks, Dana!