This Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus takes just a few minutes to make and tastes the way asparagus should. It’s the perfect addition to any meal, and the perfect solution for anyone who has ever asked how to cook asparagus.
Three ingredients and ready in five minutes? Yes, please!
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Lately a few people have asked me how to cook asparagus. There are, of course, lots of different ways to cook up this spring vegetable, but my favorite, for both taste and ease, is oven roasting.
This is a pretty easy method and I would hesitate to even call this a recipe. It’s really more of a tip.
I prefer oven roasted asparagus over any other way of cooking asparagus. It’s super simple and only takes a few minutes, but it intensifies the flavor of the asparagus, so that every bite is just super asparagusy. Is that a word? It should be.
There are no fancy ingredients to mask the asparagus taste. This is a recipe for those first asparagus feeds of spring, when you’re super excited to eat it and you’re not trying to mix it up with fancy dishes like pizza or pasta.
Am I the only one who gets this excited about asparagus?
Nope. I don’t think I am. I remember reading in one of my favourite books, Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, that for her entire life, every time she moved to a new house or apartment, she would corner off a little section of her yard and plant asparagus. Even when she was renting. Now that is dedication. I think asparagus is just the type of vegetable that inspires incredible devotion in people.
So if you’re an asparagus lover, maybe you already have a favorite way of cooking it. But if you don’t, give this oven roasted method a try.
PS – A few spears of this would be amazing on pretty much any salad I can imagine. YUM. That might be up next on our meal plan!
One note: I use olive oil most of the time when I roast asparagus. As you might know, olive oil has a medium-ish smoke point, which means that if it’s used for high heat cooking it can produce a lot of smoke, which may happen depending on how strong your broiler is and/or how hot your oven is. An oil with a higher smoke point, like avocado oil or canola oil, would allow you to roast asparagus (or anything else) without producing smoke.
Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus – Step-by-Step Instructions
Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus – Ingredients
Preheat your broiler (or if you’ve already been using your oven, preheat it to at least 425 degrees F – you can go with 400 if you’re worried about the smoke point).
Snap the tough ends off the asparagus by bending the bottom end of the stalks. They will snap at the point where the tough part ends and the tender part starts.
Tip: If you have any really thick stalks, slice them in half lengthwise so they cook faster.
Arrange on a cookie sheet. Don’t crowd them together – they need to have room to breathe and they should all have contact with the pan.
If you have too much asparagus to spread them out, do two batches. They are very fast to make. Drizzle with oil of your choice (I use olive oil, but you can read my note of caution about the smoke point above).
Dust with ground pepper and kosher salt.
If you don’t have kosher salt you can use regular salt, but kosher salt is my absolute favorite for roasting vegetables – it’s crunchy and delicious.
Tip: You shouldn’t leave out the salt in this recipe (or any recipe, in my opinion). It helps to bring out the amazing flavor of the asparagus.
Toss it together to make sure it’s all coated with oil, salt and pepper.
Roast in super hot oven for 2-5 minutes, depending on the temperature used and the thickness of the asparagus. Pull out the pan at least once in that time to roll the asparagus around in the hot oil. (If you use olive oil, be prepared for smoke.)
Roast until it can be pierced with a fork or sharp knife (personally, I like asparagus that still has some firmness to it).
Enjoy! 🙂
Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
- oil (I sometimes use olive oil, but see my note of caution above about the smoke point. You might want to use avocado, canola, or something with a higher smoke point)
- kosher salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler (or if you've already been using your oven, preheat it to at least 425 degrees F - or go with 400 if you're worried about smoke).
- Snap the tough ends off the asparagus by bending the bottom end of the stalks. They will snap at the point where the tough part ends and the tender part starts. If you have any really thick stalks, slice them in half lengthwise so they cook faster.
- Arrange on a cookie sheet. Don't crowd them together - they need to have room to breathe and they should all have contact with the pan.
- Drizzle with oil of your choice. Dust with ground pepper and kosher salt. Toss it together to make sure it's all coated with oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast in super hot oven for 2-5 minutes, depending on the temperature used and the thickness of the asparagus. Pull out the pan at least once in that time to roll the asparagus around in the hot oil. (If you're using olive oil, be prepared for smoke.) Roast until it can be pierced with a fork or sharp knife (personally, I like asparagus that still has some firmness to it). Enjoy! 🙂
Nutrition
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