This oven roasted asparagus is so remarkably easy to make and the results are just outstanding. For a bright green vegetable that is seasoned and roasted to perfection this asparagus recipe is the best!
Asparagus is an excellent side dish for fish, poultry, and meats. I especially love it alongside salmon! By just making a few adjustments to your cooking time or temperature, you can easily bake asparagus alongside many of your favorite main dishes.
What We Love About This Roasted Asparagus Recipe
- Roasting asparagus keeps it from losing many of its nutrients and flavor. When boiling or steaming asparagus, many of these benefits go down the drain.
- To keep the roasted asparagus from turning out mushy, you need to spread the stalks out on your baking sheet so they do not crowd each other. When the stalks are bunched together, you risk steaming them versus roasting them to tender perfection.
- There is no prepping needed for this recipe because it is just so easy to make. With about 5 minutes to get the asparagus in the oven no need to prep ahead – plus doing so can cause the asparagus to go mushy.
- You can bake asparagus alongside your main by adjust the roasting time of your asparagus for different temperature ranges. When baking with other dishes, make sure to leave space between the pans to allow for air to circulate.
- There are so many variations you can do to make this roasted asparagus different every time. You can squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus, season it with red pepper flakes, sprinkle it with grated or shaved parmesan, or garnish it with toasted slivered almonds.
When buying asparagus, choose asparagus that is bright green or with a little bit of purple. The stalks should be firm and squeak slightly when gently squeezed. Make sure the tips are tightly closed. Asparagus loves water, so if the asparagus bunches you are seeing are standing in water, this is a good thing.
Store your asparagus up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you wrap the cut ends in damp paper towel, it will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 to 7 days. If you place the bundle in a glass with water on the bottom and refrigerate it, you can store asparagus for up to 10 days. Make sure to change the water frequently.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed see tip
- Pure olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Arrange the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the asparagus with the olive oil and gently toss to coat with oil. Spread the stalks out on the pan so they do not crowd each other. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake, jiggling pan halfway through cooking to turn asparagus, 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp tender. For asparagus that is cooked through but without crispy edges bake 10 to 12 minutes.