Learn how to roast asparagus with this simple recipe. Snap the ends off, brush the stalks with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes. The roasted tender-crisp stalks are a delicious meal or side dish.
Asparagus can be served hot with your meals or cold in salads. An anti-inflammatory vegetable, asparagus is a great source of fiber and many nutrients including vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and vitamin E, zinc, and iron.
Long, thin spears can be quite elegant. They are a great dinner party dish served on a narrow platter, surrounded with lemon slices and Hollandaise sauce. I prefer roasting over steaming or boiling because roasting them makes them crunchy and brings out their earthy flavors.
Use this recipe as a guide. The size and quality of your asparagus will ultimately determine the correct cooking time.
Shopping for Asparagus
Look for bright green or violet-tinged spears with firm stems. Make sure the tips are firm and tightly closed. At the market, asparagus is most often standing in water at the store to preserve them. If they feel slimy when you lift them from the water, they are old and should not be purchased.
Asparagus are bundled for sale by size. I find the medium stalks to be the best for roasting. If you have thin or medium asparagus, you can snap the bottom of each stem off before roasting. The thicker stalks are tough. You can peel the bottom few inches of each stalk with a vegetable peeler to remove some of the tough outer fibers.
Asparagus comes in different colors: green, purple, and white. Green asparagus is the most abundant variety and is available year-round. You can source the violet and white varieties at farmer's markets and specialty markets in the spring.
How to Store Fresh Asparagus
Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator with the ends wrapped in a moist paper towel. Alternatively, you can trim the ends with a paring knife and stand them up in a mason jar or tall glass and cover them loosely with a plastic bag, and put them in the back of the top shelf of the refrigerator. They should remain fresh for 3 or 4 days.
How to Prep Asparagus
Rinse well in cold water. Snap off the bottom 2 inches, or tough woody ends, near the bottom of each stalk. For very thick stalks, use a vegetable peeler to peel off the lower third of the stalks. Thin stalks don't need to be peeled. Towel dry before placing them on the pan.
Brush spears on all sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes. The asparagus will turn bright green after a few minutes in the oven. When fully cooked, they will be tender and lightly browned.
Here Are Some More Roasted Vegetable Recipes
- Roasted Broccoli and Garlic
- The Best Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- How to Roast Brussels Sprouts
How to Roast Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium-width asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees Farehnheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Wash asparagus under cold running water. Snap off the bottom inch or two of each stalk and discard. If you are using thick stalks, peel the bottom third of each with a vegetable peeler.
- Place asparagus on a baking sheet so they are not touching. A crowded pan will steam the vegetables instead of roasting them.
- Brush lightly with olive oil on all sides, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes until tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and it comes from online calculators. Although we try to attempt to provide accurate information, these figures are estimates only.