Oven-roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus
Spring. It isn’t quite here yet, not in Minnesota at least, but one sign we are getting close is that asparagus was on sale at the grocery store. Not the thick, woody asparagus they try to sell all winter, but thin, tender, new asparagus that made me actually want to buy it. And so I did. Now I just needed to figure out how to cook it.
In the summer, we just brush the asparagus with olive oil and toss it on the grill. It’s delicious that way, but it was wasn’t exactly grilling weather so I needed a method of cooking it in the house. A little time on the googlynets and I had my answer. I would roast it in the oven.
Start by trimming off the tough ends. Arrange the asparagus in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll the asparagus around to make sure it is evenly coated. This could be all you do, just bake it and you are done, but I wanted garlic so I minced some garlic and sprinkled it over the top. Then I baked it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. (Coincidentally, the exact same time and temp for the Sriracha Lime Salmon I was making for the main course. Convenient, no?)
After 15 minutes in the oven, the asparagus was tender, but not yet limp or mushy. Perfect. To add to its deliciousness, I grated some Parmesan cheese over the top while it was still hot. Oh so tasty. I served it up with the salmon and it was possibly the perfect meal. Quick, easy, and delicious.
- One bunch asparagus
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim ends off asparagus and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
- Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve.