A Soufflé is a classic French dish that is not as difficult to make as you might think. You can serve this in a larger soufflé dish or individual ramekins. It’s perfect for brunch, served with our Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup and a green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Get ready to impress!
🍶 The Ingredients
The ingredients for cheese soufflé with asparagus may be simple, yet they blend to create a light, airy dish that showcases the elegance of French culinary mastery. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
🥦 Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetables – The sky is the limit. You can easily substitute any type of veggie or use a combination of them. Roasting the vegetables softens them and deepens the flavor. Roasted (and chopped) broccoli and cauliflower are wonderful in this dish. Tomatoes and mushrooms are also amazing. Mix it up!
- Cheese – Gruyeré is traditional and our favorite. But, you can also go with grated Fontina, Gouda, Swiss, Emmental, or white cheddar. Any melting cheese will work!
- Flavor enhancers – The addition of chives gives a subtle depth of onion to the soufflé, but not overpowering. You could also include fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil, or sage. If using dried, only go with a total of 1 tablespoon.
See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏼🍳 How To Make Cheese Soufflé with Asparagus
- Step 1: Toss the asparagus with oil, salt, and pepper and bake for 10 minutes.
- Step 2: Grease the dish with butter and sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over it.
- Step 3: Make a roux in a saucepan and whisk in warm milk.
- Step 4: Once thickened, stir in cheese, Dijon, chives, salt, pepper, and the eggs (1 at a time).
- Step 5: Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form.
- Step 6: Gently fold the egg white into the yolk/cheese mixture.
Expert Tips
We recommend using an electric hand mixer and a metal bowl to beat the egg whites into soft peaks. You want to stop as soon as you can lift the mixers out of the whites and small peaks form. Don’t overmix or the whites will become glossy, which impedes the dramatic rise in the dish.
Gently fold about ⅓ of the whites into the egg mixture. Again, be careful not to overmix. It’s better to have a few streaks of egg whites in the mixture than to completely knock the air out of the whites.
🔥 How to Bake a Soufflé
- Step 7: Place the prepared asparagus at the bottom of the soufflé dish.
- Step 8: Add the egg mixture and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Step 9: Bake for exactly 27 minutes (no peeking!).
- Step 10: Serve at once!
Expert Tip
We use our 1.5-quart soufflé dish for this recipe. But you can also do these in individual ramekins. We find that ramekins that are 3 to 4 inches in diameter and are 2 to 3 inches tall work best. They often produce a higher rise than the larger single dish.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
A blend of cheeses such as Gruyère and Parmesan is ideal for a cheese soufflé, as they provide rich flavor and a creamy texture, but you can also experiment with other cheeses like cheddar or goat cheese.
While it’s best to bake cheese soufflés immediately after mixing to achieve the perfect rise, you can prepare the cheese sauce and roast the asparagus ahead of time, then combine and bake them just before serving.
Cheese soufflé with asparagus pairs beautifully with a light spinach salad, crusty bread, or a glass of crisp white wine, making for a delightful and elegant meal.
🌞 Other Classic Brunch Recipes
Ready to impress everyone with this classic French masterpiece? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Cheese Soufflé with Asparagus
Video
Equipment
- 1 large soufflé dish (1 ½ qt or 1.4 liters), or 4 small/medium ramekins
- Hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Ingredients
- ½ lb asparagus ends trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter plus more for greasing the dish
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoon chives finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 large eggs separated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Toss the asparagus pieces in the oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Liberally grease the soufflé dish (or ramekins) with butter. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese all over the insides and bottom of the dish. It's okay if there is excess in the bottom of the dish.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk to fully incorporate. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Don't let it begin to brown.
- Slowly whisk in the warmed milk, and bring to a simmer, or boil. Continue whisking and cooking until very thick, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the cheese, Dijon, chives, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Gently stir in the egg yolks one at a time. Making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next yolk.
- In a large bowl (metal or glass), add the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Use a hand mixer on high to beat them until soft peaks just form. Don't over-beat them!
- Add about ⅓ of the egg whites to the yolks/cheese mixture and gently fold them with a wooden spoon or whisk. Add the remaining whites and fold together until just combined. Don't overwork the mixture (it's okay if some white streaks are visible).
- Transfer the asparagus into the bottom of the dish and then pour in the egg mixture, using a spatula to gently smooth the top.
- Place the dish in the oven (400°F) and bake for 27 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Wes says
This dish will certainly impress your guests. It’s also light airy and delicious!
desire crittenden says
Happy aniversary <3
Kris Longwell says
Thank you so so much!!!! xoxo