Perfect Roasted Asparagus

This easiest side dish is so great for spring, and goes well with almost anything you can think of for dinner. The Perfect Roasted Asparagus comes together with just a few ingredients plus the right oven temperature that give you the best tasting asparagus. Try it will all of the extra variations below as well! Whichever way you choose to serve this recipe, it’s perfect with everything from pasta to simply prepared meats, and alongside every cuisine from Indian, to Italian, and Asian as well.

We eat so much asparagus every year when it’s in season, it’s downright embarrassing! We’re simply crazy about it, and never get enough during it’s short seasonal window. In fact, I just bought 6 pounds of it while grocery shopping yesterday, and the 2 of us will easily polish it right off this week.

Today’s asparagus recipe is how we make it the most often, roasted to caramelized perfection. But I’ve never shared a recipe for any of these simple side dishes we make because they can barely be called a recipe. They’re really more like a method. But having just a touch of seasonings plus the right oven temperature is everything to making your veggies so good you can’t stop eating them.

We also just love asparagus grilled, and you can use the ingredients in this recipe to grill as well. Simply toss the asparagus together with the oil and seasonings and grill over medium heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Between these 2 ways of cooking asparagus we hardly ever make anything else. You’ll also find our favorite variations below to add to this simple garlic and olive oil preparation.

Let’s start by talking about the ingredients for this Perfect Roasted Asparagus!

• Asparagus – as fresh as possible always gives you the best flavor! The asparagus I buy at our local farmer’s market definitely tastes better, but it’s also a better deal because they pick the asparagus rather than cutting it. Store bought asparagus has been cut which normally means that the bottom 2-3″ is too tough to eat. So even though the farmer’s market price per pound is more, then entire bunch is edible. Where when I buy asparagus from the store I figure on about 1/3 of what I buy being waste.
• Olive oil – avocado oil, or even butter all work really well for roasting asparagus.
• Garlic – just a touch of garlic adds a lot of savory flavor and makes this asparagus hard to stop eating.

Extra ingredients to try with this recipe:

• Parmesan – We sometimes add a bit of grated parmesan after roasting the asparagus along with some lemon juice or reduced balsamic. You can also sprinkle the asparagus with grated parmesan, and then roast it for a different flavor, and little bits of crunchy parmesan.
• Lemon – a touch of lemon juice freshly squeeze over the top of the finished asparagus adds a nice bright note of flavor. It’s also great combined with the parmesan variations above.
• Reduced balsamic – is so good lightly drizzled over this asparagus, and especially with either of the parmesan versions mentioned above.

Now let’s make this Perfect Roasted Asparagus recipe step by step:

Step 1:

Measure out the olive oil and mince the garlic. Break/snap off the tough ends of the asparagus.

Step 2:

Evenly spread the asparagus over a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 3:

Then toss the asparagus together with the olive oil, garlic, and sea salt.

Step 4:

Roast until just tender but still bright green. The garlic will brown and the asparagus will just start to caramelize around the edges.

Serve this asparagus with:

• Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Skillet Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
• Grilled Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken
• Creamy Garlic Chicken
• Easy Spaghetti Sauce
• Best Oven Baked Lemon Cod
• Lazy Lasagna Beef and Shells

More side dishes that go well with this:

• The Best Mashed Potatoes
• Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
• Garlic Butter Sautéed Mushrooms
• Best Rosemary Potatoes
• Browned Butter Maple Sage Carrots

I really hope you enjoy this simple, and oh so tasty asparagus. And if you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also for more side dish inspiration, check out the recipe index.

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