In this tasty Asparagus Canapés appetizer recipe, fresh, blanched asparagus spears are hugged by a piece of buttered white bread that's smothered with a Swiss cheese and cream cheese schmear. Baked to golden perfection, each gooey, cheesy bite is filled with absolute deliciousness!
Never heard of canapés ? No worries! There are many different kinds and we'll cover more on that later (but if you're really eager, you can skip ahead and read about them at the end of this post).
In the meantime, think of a canapé as a sophisticated grilled cheese rolled up into a savory, bite-sized, hors d'oeuvre perfection!
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👪Why you'll love it
| Make ahead recipe- You can store assembled asparagus canapés in the fridge before baking, or freeze them and then bake them from frozen just before serving! Crowd pleaser- Asparagus canapés are a unique appetizer and are absolutely delicious. They always get raves and are usually the first to disappear from the serving tray. Customizable- Feel free to add your favorite herbs to the cream cheese schmear. Some favs include fresh dill and chives. You can also experiment with different kinds of cheese, such as Gruyère. |
🥘Ingredients
For a complete list with measurements, see the printable recipe card below
- fresh asparagus- medium thickness works best
- Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread- this is the BEST bread for this recipe because of its size and density
- Swiss cheese- freshly grate this for optimal gooeyness and taste
- reduced fat cream cheese- Philadelphia Brand recommended
- reduced fat mayonnaise- Hellmann's or Duke's recommended; gives a little tang and smoothness to the spread
- egg- used to hold the smear together
- butter- the canapés get dipped in this before baking
🔪Instructions
For a more detailed set of instructions, see the printable recipe card below
- Wash and trim 2- 3 inches off the bottom of each asparagus spear.
- Blanch the asparagus by cooking it over medium to high heat for only 4 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to cold ice water.
- Trim the crusts from the bread. Then, use a rolling pin to flatten the bread slices.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise and egg. The mixture will be thick, creamy and delicious!
- Assemble the canapés! Place a slice of flattened bread on your workspace. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top. Place one stalk of asparagus in the center. Then roll the bread slice up tightly like a taquito. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Slice each "roll up" into three pieces. Then dip each piece into the melted butter to lightly coat.
- Arrange asparagus canapés on a prepared, rimmed baking sheet. Canapés can be very close together on the sheet, but should not be overlapping.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (flip halfway through) or until well browned (add on extra time if baking from frozen). Allow to cool off slightly, then serve warm!
Hint: Save the crusts for a homemade stuffing, bread pudding, or simply feed the birds---don't let it go to waste! You can also use some of the discarded asparagus (the parts that aren't woodsy) for a vegetable soup, like Cream of Roasted Asparagus Soup, or for a salad, like Asparagus Tomato Salad.
🥣Substitutions
Cheese: Freshly grated Gruyère, Fontina, Jarlsberg or Gouda can be used instead of Swiss.
Cream Cheese: Use a savory flavored cream cheese, such as vegetable, chives and onion, or garlic herb instead of plain cream cheese.
Asparagus: Fresh always tastes better, but it you're short on time, buy canned asparagus spears. I recommend 2 cans of Le Sueur.
📖Variations
With herbs: Minced dill and chives can be added to the cream cheese schmear. This is a popular choice with readers.
With everything seasoning: Add this to the cream cheese schmear, which will give it a slight garlic taste.
With a salty, crispy topping: Add freshly grated parmesan to the tops of the canapés before baking for added crispness and flavor.
With bleu cheese and bacon: Add ½ cup crumbled bleu cheese to the schmear instead of Swiss; sprinkle a few crumbles of bacon on top before rolling up the bread.
🍽Equipment
- large pot with lid
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- collander
- medium mixing bowl
- small serrated knife
- rolling pin
- cheese grater
- small mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoon
- microwave safe bowl
- large, rimmed baking pan/cookie sheet
🍶Storage
Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate and enjoy within 5 days. Asparagus Canapés taste best when warm. Reheat leftovers in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
💭Top tip
The longer asparagus cooks, the less stunning it looks. By only cooking it for a few minutes (blanching), it doesn't lose much green. Shocking it next with the cold ice water bath stops the asparagus from cooking further to help preserve its vibrancy.
🤔So what exactly is a canapé?
Don't feel bad if you've never heard of them. I'll admit, I never did before my aunt was gracious enough to share this recipe with me. Pronounced "cah-nah-pay", they originated in France and are an appetizer/hors d'oeuvre.
There are many different types of canapés, but most have these key components:
- a bread, pastry or cracker base
- a flavorful spread (usually consisting of one or more of the following: butter, cream cheese, or mayo)
- a topping (usually meat, veggies, or fruit-- and sometimes a combination of more than one)
Often served with cocktails, canapés should be bite-sized and easily eaten within 1-2 bites.
Fun Fact: The word canapé in French means "sofa". It is believed the edible canapé shares the same name because people sit on top of a sofa, just as toppings sit on top of the bread or pastry base!
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite appetizers to serve with Asparagus Canapés:
📋Recipe
Asparagus Canapés
Ingredients
- 36 stalks (approx. 1.5 lbs.) fresh asparagus medium thickness, trimmed
- 2 (16 oz.) loaves Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread crusts trimmed
- 8 oz Swiss cheese freshly grated
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon reduced fat mayonnaise Hellmann's or Duke's
- 1 egg beaten
- butter, melted usually 1 stick or less
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a pot of water on the stove.
- Rinse asparagus, pat dry and place on cutting board. Use a chef's knife to trim off 2-3 inches from the bottom of each stalk.
- Once water has come to a rolling boil, reduce the heat slightly and place the trimmed asparagus stalks in the pot. Blanch the asparagus by cooking it over medium to high heat for only 4 mintues. Do not overcook!!!
- While the asparagus in cooking, fill a medium sized mixing bowl with cold ice water. After 4 minutes of cooking, pour the asparagus into a colander to drain, then immediately transfer to the cold ice water. Leave cooked asparagus in cold water for 1 minute. Then drain asparagus again in colander. Set aside.
- Unwrap both loaves of bread. Discard heels; then trim crusts from remaining slices. Using a rolling pin, roll each slice of bread flat.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, grated swiss cheese, mayonnaise and egg.
- To assemble, place one slice of flattened bread on workspace. Spread 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture on top. Then put one asparagus spear in the center. Roll the bread slice up tightly so that the asparagus is evenly wrapped.
- Slice each roll up into 3 pieces.
- Melt butter in microwaveable safe dish. Dip each piece into melted butter to lightly coat.
- Arrange canapés on a prepared, rimmed baking sheet. They can be close to each other, but do not overlap them.
- Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes (flip halfway through) or until well browned. Allow to cool off slightly, but serve warm.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Florence F. says
Sounds good. Can I use canned asparagus? I think it might be easier.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Yes, you can! 2 cans of Le Sueur spears will work. You're right...it is easier that way, but when you use fresh asparagus, it has more flavor.
Helen H. says
I can't find Pepperidge Farm white bread in that size loaf. Any other breads I can use?
Kitchen Ready Betty says
You definitely want a dense bread that can handle the schmear and baking without getting soggy. I haven't tried this, but I'm thinking Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Sourdough Bread might work, as well as Arnold's Country White. Both of these loaves have bigger slices of bread though. I would try using one slice for two asparagus spears by dividing each slice in half first before using it in this recipe.