Beef and asparagus rolls

3
Points®
Total Time
10 min
Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
These beef and vegetable rolls are like a quick, fresh spin on Italian involtini—pieces of thinly sliced beef rolled around fresh herbs or greens in a cigar fashion before cooking to serve. Only here blanched asparagus spears are the only ingredients that you need to cook. The conveniences of deli meat and a quick sauce made from refrigerator staples allow this recipe to come together easily. Make a double batch of these rolls to keep on hand as a snack or to enjoy as a midday munch; or serve them as elegant finger food at your next party.

Ingredients

Asparagus

½ pound(s), 16 spears, trimmed and fibrous stalks peeled

Reduced calorie mayonnaise

2 Tbsp

Store-bought horseradish

2 tsp

Deli style roast beef slices

½ pound(s), lean, very thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Cook the asparagus in a large pan of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, 3–5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the asparagus to a large bowl of ice water. Cool the asparagus for 1 minute, then drain on layers of paper towels.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl. Spread a thin layer over each slice of roast beef. Place an asparagus stalk at one end of each beef slice and roll tightly. Serve at once, or cover tightly and refrigerate to serve within 1 day. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Yields 4 rolls per serving.

Notes

You can substitute steamed scallions or green beans for the asparagus, or make it no-cook and use raw cucumber sticks.Choose asparagus stalks that are close in size and thickness so they’ll cook evenly. If your asparagus is somewhat tough and thick-skinned, peel the skin from the stems with a vegetable peeler before cooking.