Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus is made by coating fresh asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then roasting it in the oven until it is perfectly tender and golden brown.  You will never steam asparagus again!

I love the nights when my husband helps with dinner.  You'll rarely see him in the kitchen, but when we decide to grill, he's all about being the grill master.  And if I'm going to be honest, he's better at it, so I gladly let him do it.

Several nights a week you'll find us grilling chicken, steaks, or burgers, and on most of those nights I'll be in the kitchen making roasted veggies to serve on the side. Some of our family's favorite vegetables to roast are brussels sprouts, broccoli, and asparagus.

The other night when we were cooking dinner together, my husband and I realized that I've never added our very favorite roasted asparagus recipe to the blog.   I'm not sure why because it's truly a recipe that I make over and over again!

As you can see, we like our roasted vegetables on the well-done side.  The more crisp bits and caramelization, the better.  As a matter of fact, my three year old will only eat the crispy tops.  I'm impressed that he's even eating it at all, so I consider it a win.

I've found that if we use thin, slender asparagus it turns out just how we like it.  If you prefer less browning, you can simply keep an eye on it and pull the pan out of the oven when it looks done to your liking.

Once you roast some fresh spring asparagus, you will never want to cook it any other way, I promise!

Roasted Asparagus

   

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus (around 1 pound)
• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Snap the tough ends off of the asparagus stalks by holding the asparagus at each end and snapping in half.  The asparagus will naturally split where the stalk begins to turn tough.  Discard the tough ends.
2. Place the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle wth salt and pepper.  Turn to coat evenly.
3. Roast for 10 minutes, shake the pan a bit to turn the asparagus, then continue roasting for an additional 5 minutes or until browned to your liking.  The size of the asparagus will also determine cook time. 

Notes

• We love to top this asparagus with shaved parmesan cheese right before serving.