Hey there, I'm Jill, the founder of GrownupDish.com and your go-to gal for everything midlife. As a recovering CEO, food lover, world traveler, and self-proclaimed pop culture aficionado, I've got a wealth of experience and wisdom to share with you.
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It’s the first day of spring and I’m jumping for joy. Asparagus is one of my favorite spring foods and this oven roasted asparagus recipe is quick, easy, healthy and (most of all) delicious. It’s one of my favorite side dishes to make in the spring when asparagus in plentiful and it goes beautifully with any protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork) or you could use it to top pasta, rice, gnocchi or potatoes for a vegetarian feast. I also really like asparagus for breakfast – either chopped up and tossed in an omelette, or as a bed for a poached egg.
Sometimes the asparagus stalks are as thin as pencils; other times they’re fat and meaty. So, which size is preferable? The geniuses at Cooks Illustrated snapped off the woody bottoms of fat and skinny spears and tasted them side by side, both steamed and tossed with olive oil and salt. While both types tasted equally sweet, nutty, and grassy, they expected the delicate-looking thin spears to be more tender. But to their surprise, the thicker spears actually had the better texture (if only by a hair). The reason? The vegetable’s fiber is slightly more concentrated in thinner spears.
Since thick and thin spears are both good bets, choose the size that best suits your cooking method. Thicker stalks are better for broiling and roasting because they will stand up to the intense dry heat that would quickly shrivel skinnier spears. Quick-cooking thinner spears are good candidates for steaming and stir-frying.
I personally prefer thin asparagus but if you like them thicker (or if the thick ones are all you can find) just roast them for a little longer.
Four Steps to Oven Roasted Asparagus
Trim the ends. You can either cut the ends with a sharp knife or bend each stalk and it will break/snap in just the right spot.
Toss asparagus with lemon and spices. I like to do this right on the sheet pan so that there is no extra bowl to clean up.
Roast in a hot (425F) oven for 12 – 15 minutes.
Garnish (if desired) with a little more lemon, Parmasan cheese, red pepper flakes, or whatever your heart desires.
This oven roasted asparagus recipe is quick (20 minutes), easy (4 ingredients), healthy and (most of all) delicious. Vegan, Whole30 and keto – try it today!
Ingredients
Scale
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
1 tablespoon M-Salt seasoning (or a combination of kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic salt)
(optional) pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place the asparagus on a foil or parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with M-Salt (or a combination of garlic, salt, and pepper). Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer and top with a few lemon slices.
Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.
Garnish with additional lemon juice (or parmesan cheese*) if desired.
Notes
To trim asparagus, grab stalk of asparagus at either end and bend until it snaps. It will naturally snap where it starts to get tough.
Omit parmesan cheese garnish for Whole30
Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled depending on the size of your group.
