Roasted Asparagus is one of the easiest vegetables to prepare. This recipe has only three ingredients - yes, including the salt! It's the perfect dish to serve on the side when you want to focus on another, more complicated entree.
My favourite way to eat asparagus also happens to be the easiest way to cook it.
What to Serve with Roasted Asparagus
We’ve tried a couple of times to grow our own asparagus. It takes patience. The plants take a few years to produce. Then, we’ve found that only two or three stalks are ready for picking at the same time. I guess we’d have to grow a lot of it to have even two full servings for a meal. Then, we would end up with much more asparagus than we really need.
So, I’ve decided that it’s a whole lot easier to just buy local asparagus when it’s in season. Each time I’m in the grocery store, and asparagus is $1.99 per pound, I’ll pick some up. Sometimes I include it in another recipe, but mostly I serve it as a side dish just like this.
At first, I thought that this recipe was too simple to bother sharing with you. I mean, it’s hardly even a recipe at all! But then, I thought how glad I am to have discovered simple roasted asparagus, and I realized that this is exactly what I should be sharing with you. It’s a quick, easy, nutritious, one-pot dish—the kind that just makes life better!
If you happen to be grilling or even cooking over a campfire, try Grilled Asparagus in Foil.
What are the benefits of asparagus?
According to Asparagus Ontario, asparagus is the leading natural source of folacin and glutathione. Folacin is the natural form of folic acid found in food.
In this Huffington Post article, Mark Hyman, MD, explains that glutathione is the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system. So, it's good to eat asparagus along with other sulfur-rich vegetables such as garlic, onions, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Do you have to wash asparagus before cooking?
Wash your asparagus carefully before cooking, as grains of sand can become lodged under the scales.
How do you know when asparagus goes bad?
As with other vegetables, asparagus is best when it's fresh, but it will keep for a few days in the refrigerator if properly stored.
As soon as I get the asparagus home, I stand it in a sturdy pyrex measuring cup or flat-bottomed pitcher with the base of each stalk immersed in a little water. Then, I loosely cover it all with the plastic produce bag from the store and put it into the refrigerator to use within a couple of days.
You'll know your asparagus is going bad if the tips begin to get dark and mushy. If this is just starting to happen, you might be able to cut off the tips and still use the rest right away.
If however, your asparagus has mould on it, you'll need to throw it out.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Wash asparagus breaking off the tough woody base from each stalk. Spread out on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss together.
- Roast for 10 minutes and serve hot.
Elaine says
Great post, Cathy. I always used to steam asparagus until I discovered how easy and delicious it is when roasted. I've never tried to grow my own, but we are lucky to have an asparagus farm just down the road from us. There's nothing quite like fresh picked asparagus. Your recipe will be on my Easter menu!
Cathy says
Thanks, Elaine. How nice to have an asparagus farm nearby! Happy Easter!
Chef Sous Chef says
This is the perfect side to any dish and my go to in the spring and summer.
Cathy says
Thank you! I agree!
Lisa says
I love roasting vegetables, asparagus included! Nice to see a recipe post that reminds everyone how simple methods can mean really tasty!
Cathy says
Thanks, Lisa. Simple methods allow fresh, good quality ingredients to shine, don't they!
Kim - The Puffy Biscuit says
Roasted asparagus is one of my all-time favourite sides and my favourite way to eat asparagus. (Although I will eat it any way at all because it is just SO GOOD.) The tips get so crispy and yummy!
Cathy says
Yes! I'm so glad that I discovered roasting for asparagus (and most vegetables)!
[email protected] says
One of my favourite childhood memories is going into my father’s large garden and picking fresh asparagus for dinner. I don’t think my Mom ever roasted them but it would have been life-altering if she knew about this. I love roasted asparagus - it is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Many thanks for sharing, Cathy! Cheers to Spring! ❤️
Cathy says
What a lovely memory, Denise! I think my mother fried asparagus in butter on the stovetop. It wasn't bad, but I'm glad that we've discovered roasting vegetables!
Kristen says
I love a good simple side dish recipe and this is exactly that. Thank you for sharing your perfectly roasted asparagus, they look scrumptious and I can't wait to add them to my next dinner.
Cathy says
Thanks for stopping by, Kristen! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!