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These little parcels of joy are the taste of early summer – they’re quick and super impressive too! Rustle these Asparagus Puff Pastry Parcels up when cooking for guests or for an easy lunch treat, as a starter or a simple vegetarian family meal.
I absolutely LOVE asparagus season. If you live in the UK, and drive along in the countryside during May and July, you’ll sometimes see stalls by the road selling bunches (or failing that it will usually be on special offer at the supermarkets at this time!)
British Asparagus, grown in this country, is very different to the type you can buy all year round that’s imported. It’s tender, and the taste is almost indescribably unique.
But, it can get lost and overcooked in sauce dishes and it deserves to be far more centre stage than a soggy side on its own… welcome to asparagus in puff pastry!
These Cheese & Asparagus Puffs are SO delicious, a bit special and ridiculously easy to make.
Why you’ll love this asparagus recipe
⭐️ Impressive bake in under 30 minutes
⭐️ Simple 4-ingredient treat
⭐️ Perfect for summery starter, side or lunch
What are Cheese & Asparagus Puff Pastry Parcels?
This recipe basically gives us an asparagus tart in nibble form. They’re so simple to make, with just four ingredients needed, and all we have to do is lay out the ready-made puff pastry, lay the ingredients on top and then fold them together before baking.
These really come in handy when you want to make something a little special and homemade but don’t have a lot of time and don’t want any hassle.
They’re ideal for smart picnics, when you need to contribute to a summer buffet, if you’re cooking a nice light lunch or if you have vegetarians attending a garden BBQ.
If you love asparagus, I think you’ll be making this a staple nibble recipe!
Ingredients for Cheese & Asparagus Puffs
- Puff pastry sheet – The ready-made kind, I like to buy sheets already rolled as they are such a super shortcut
- Garlic and herb cream cheese – Any type is fine, but a luxury one like Boursin adds richness
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Egg OR milk – For brushing on top
How to make Cheese & Asparagus Puffs
- Boil the asparagus according to the recipe below. Drain and rinse in cold water.
2. Cut and lay the pastry into six squares, on baking paper, on a baking sheet. Add a dollop of cream cheese in the middle, followed by asparagus and cheddar.
3. Fold the uncovered diagonal corners into the middle, pressing them together over the asparagus.
4. Brush with egg wash or milk and bake as per the recipe below until golden brown.
Substitutions
- Additions – These are pretty versatile nibbles. You can add anything you like in addition to the filling. How about prosciutto or parma ham if you don’t need it to be vegetarian?
Leftovers
In the fridge These are best eaten on the day they’re made, but they will last for up to 2 days in the fridge if necessary. You can ‘refresh’ them a little by popping them in a hot oven for 5 minutes before eating.
In the freezer You can freeze these, unbaked, after step 8 in the recipe below. Then, when it’s time to eat them, defrost them fully and bake as normal (they may need an extra minute or two if they’re very cold).
Top tip
How to remove the ends of asparagus
Remove the tough ends by snapping the asparagus with your hands – simply gently bend and it will break in the natural place it needs to. This works better than trying to guess and cutting with a knife!
FAQs
Yes! There are so many ways to use ready-made puff pastry so you can experiment.
Everyone LOVED my Christmas Canapés in my house, which involves simply adding brie and cranberry sauce inside puff pastry squares, and baking them in a muffin tin. You could do with SO many different fillings.
There’s also my classic Puff Pastry Tart recipes to try too. Again, so many topping variations!
I urge you to also give my Greggs-Style Cheese and Onion Pasties a try. Heaven!
Be sure you’ve preheated your oven so it’s scorching hot.
Also, put the parcels into the top shelf of the oven if possible.
Finally, use a good quality heavyweight baking sheet as they transfer heat more effectively I find.
Yep. Jus Rol now make a ready-made gluten free puff pastry too.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Cheese & Asparagus Puffs {Pastry Parcels}
Ingredients
- 300 g Asparagus, Tough ends removed
- 150 g Garlic and herb cream cheese
- 150 g Grated cheddar cheese
- 320 g Puff pastry sheet
- 1 Egg, Beaten OR 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Boil a large saucepan of water with plenty of salt in and add the asparagus for 2 minutes.
- Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Lay the puff pastry out and cut into 6 squares.
- Put onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, not greaseproof paper. (If your puff pastry came on a sheet out of the packet, you can use this.)
- Add a dollop of the cream cheese to the middle of each one. Lay asparagus on top, diagonally across the squares, sprinkle the cheddar on top.
- Fold in the uncovered, diagonal corners, and press to join them on top of the asparagus.
- Brush with the egg or milk.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these tonight. They were perfect and delicious, even better than I expected. The asparagus was tender, the cheese was melty and gooey, and the puff pastry was crispy on the bottom, flaky on the top. Yum yum! Next time I will add some caramelized onions in the filling. Thank you.
So easy … yet DELISH 😁
Great recipe – and so easy. I didn’t have puff pastry, only filo, but that worked really well too.