Oven Roasted Asparagus

Fresh, healthy and vibrant, this oven roasted asparagus is a fantastic side dish to serve as part of your holiday meal, or any day of the week you crave a mouthwatering veggie side. It's made with fresh asparagus seasoned simply with good olive oil, dried herbs and lemon, then quickly roasted until crisp and tender. Topped with strips of sun-dried tomato, grated Parmesan and pine nuts, this oven roasted asparagus recipe is not only incredibly easy, but also a colorful little feast for the eyes!

Asparagus prepared in a deliciously festive way

While we all love the rich, stick-to-your-ribs main dishes that grace the holiday table, there's always a need for something light, bright and fresh to balance things out.

A vegetable side dish is the best way to achieve that balance. And when that veggie side is not only colorful and elegant, but made delicious with a few bells and whistles as well, then everyone is sure to enjoy it abundantly.

Asparagus is one of those delightful vegetables that is not only incredibly healthy, but can be quick and easy to prepare and jazz up, making it truly desirable to dig into.

When roasted in the oven for a handful of minutes (easy-peasy!), the result is a really show-stopping and mouthwatering veggie side. It offers some wonderful lightness to a holiday meal, or any other meal, for that matter.

My recipe for oven roasted asparagus

Asparagus is a tasty veggie that can be prepared in myriad ways. Some delicious examples include my recipes for sauteed asparagus, or this crispy-style Parmesan asparagus.

Another way that I absolutely love to prep these lovely and vibrant green spears is by oven roasting them. It's surprisingly quick and simple, and just the way to go when I already have other items on my to-do list.

The key to oven roasted asparagus is to get that oven temp nice and high, about 400°F, so as not to steam those spears. You want crisp-yet-tender, lightly golden asparagus stalks, and a higher oven temp (with a shorter roast time) creates that.

While you can use very thin, “pencil” asparagus spears here, which you would roast for a shorter time, I actually prefer the medium thickness spears as they have a little more bite to them.

And if you'd like to use the super thick spears, I suggest that you peel those lightly with a vegetable peeler. Peeling eliminates that tough, outer, stalky skin, exposing that tender, inner part of the asparagus spear.

As for the flavoring, I simply drizzle the asparagus spears with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper, dried herbs, plus a sprinkle of granulated garlic and onion, and a squeeze of lemon.

The prepped asparagus goes into that hot oven in a single layer on a baking sheet and roasts for roughly 12 to 14 minutes. Then it's dressed with an extra squeeze of lemon, some strips of juicy sun-dried tomatoes for that festive red color, plus a dusting of finely grated Parmesan cheese (kinda looks like snow!) and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts.

Voila! The result is an incredibly delicious, festive, and nutritious veggie side!

Here's a peek at my oven roasted asparagus recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I preheat my oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Next, I place my asparagus stalks onto the baking sheet, drizzle with some good olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and onion, plus a squeeze of lemon.
3. I roast the asparagus just until crisp-tender and lightly golden.
4. Then, I remove the asparagus from oven and give an extra little squeeze of lemon, plus a tiny grating of lemon zest, if desired, and lightly toss to evenly distribute the flavor.
5. To serve, I add the oven roasted asparagus to a serving platter or a serving dish, and scatter over the sun-dried tomato slices (julienned). I top with some Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts, and serve.

Recipe

Oven Roasted Asparagus

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This oven roasted asparagus with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and Parmesan is the perfect veggie side for your festive spread!

Category: Side
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition info: 79 calories (per serving)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes
Total time: 29 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds medium thickness asparagus, trimmed of tough, stalky bottoms
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Squeeze of lemon (about 1 to 2 teaspoons)
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• Lemon zest (about 1 teaspoon)
• ⅓ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil.
3. Add the trimmed asparagus spears to the baking sheet in as single a layer as possible (some will overlap, and this is fine), then evenly drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Squeeze about a teaspoon of lemon juice over, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, as well as the granulated garlic and onion. Toss gently with tongs to evenly coat.
4. Place the asparagus into the oven to roast for about 12 to 14 minutes, just until vibrant green, and crisp-tender.
5. Remove from oven and allow the asparagus to rest for 5 minutes. Then, drizzle with a touch more olive oil, sprinkle on a bit more salt as needed, and add another small squeeze of lemon, as well as a fine grating of lemon zest, and gently toss to coat with the tongs.
6. Arrange the oven roasted asparagus on a serving platter, and scatter over the julienned sun-dried tomatoes and the toasted pine nuts, then sprinkle over the finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve.

Tips & Tidbits for my oven roasted asparagus recipe:

• Higher oven temp, for proper roasting: I find that preheating the oven to 400°F is the perfect temp for oven roasting asparagus spears. This allows the spears to cook relatively quickly, with less steaming, thus keeping the color vibrant and the texture crisp-tender. And, it's not so high that the spears burn.
• Medium thickness asparagus spears, or your desired size: I find that the medium-thickness asparagus spears are more flavorful, plus, they have a bit more bite to them, more texture. But if you'd like to use the pencil-thin asparagus, you certainly can. You will roast those a few minutes less (about 9 to 10 minutes total), just until crisp and tender. If using thick asparagus spears, then I suggest you lightly peel them, then roast the same amount of time as the medium spears.
• Adjust your add-ins according to taste: Because I love sun-dried tomatoes in this dish, I'm opting for those as they go well with Parmesan and pine nuts, offering some sweet-tanginess in each bite. You could substitute small strips of roasted red bell peppers just as easily, or even add some halved or quartered cherry tomatoes to the asparagus as it roasts—that way, you keep some festive red color. Other tasty nuts as toppers are roasted hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, or cashews. You can also omit the cheese, if you'd like to go dairy-free.

Craving more cozy asparagus recipes? Check out my recipe for Asparagus Soup, Asparagus Pasta with Prosciutto, Asparagus Quiche, Parmesan Asparagus, or even my recipe for Sheet Pan Shrimp with Asparagus!