I feel silly posting such a SIMPLE recipe as Roasted Asparagus, but y’all, it’s SOOOOOOO delicious. And sometimes I forget that there people out there who actually follow recipes and they need a recipe to make things happen in the kitchen.
In fact, I think I am in the minority. I hardly ever follow a recipe. I just can’t for some reason. I always see a need to substitute ingredients or change things up. It’s almost a sickness. The only exception is in baking. I have learned the hard way that when you bake you have to follow the recipe or your creation will flop.
Anyway, back to this deliciousness that is roasted asparagus. I am pretty convinced that any vegetable is made super tasty by roasting it, but asparagus is the top dog in my book. Give me a plate of these slightly charred, green goodies and I am a happy woman. Top them with a sunny side up egg and we are bonded for LIFE.
Here’s the way I do my asparagus: I wash the bundle and dry the spears thoroughly. Then, I pick one spear and hold one end in each hand. I give the spear a gentle bend until it breaks. That becomes the “standard” length for the rest of the spears. I line them up and just chop all the ends off at once.
Then, I toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese and minced garlic. Right before they go into the oven, I spritz them with fresh lemon juice. Just cut open a lemon and squeeze it over the pan of asparagus. Twelve-ish minutes later, you get tasty goodness.
Roasted asparagus makes an awesome side for meat. But it is also great with eggs! Want to try roasting other vegetables? Check out my posts about roasting Brussels Sprouts and Green Beans.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of fresh asparagus spears
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 black pepper
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash, dry and trim asparagus spears.
- In a mixing bowl, toss to spears with olive oil. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus.
- Roast until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.
- Serve Immediately.
