Simple Roasted Asparagus

Cooked vegetables just don’t get any easier than this roasted asparagus recipe! When you need a ridiculously simple side dish to serve alongside your lunch or dinner, turn to this recipe for oven-roasted asparagus. During the summer months, try this grilled asparagus.

When coming up with meal plans for the week, I always try to add in a few different ways to cooking the vegetables for the week. The cooking methods vary between steaming, baked, sauteed, and roasted.

My personal favorite is roasting my veggies. I mean, aren’t roasted veggies the best? I love roasting many different vegetables for several reasons:

• It’s a super easy method for cooking veggies
• Clean-up is a breeze
• Roasting brings out incredible flavors that other methods don’t

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. However, I love whipping up fancy recipes with my beloved asparagus; most of the time, I am simply tossing it with olive, salt, and pepper and roasting it for a delicious side dish in 10 minutes.

I mostly do this on weeknights because they are so busy. Making roasted veggies - or even pan-roasted meals such as salmon with sweet potatoes and asparagus or roasted chicken and potatoes with broccoli is perfect for providing healthy, delicious, home-cooked meals for the family.

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Roasted asparagus is a delicious, low-calorie veggie that’s packed with nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and K and fiber. It's also a side dish that’s elegant enough for holiday tables and simple enough to enjoy with everyday meals.

I usually double (or triple!) the recipe, so I have leftovers for quick scrambles, a delicious salad addition, or to add to wraps and sandwiches.

Key Ingredients For Oven-Roasted Asparagus

This recipe uses only four ingredients! Here's what you need:

• Asparagus: Make sure to clean and trim the spears when purchased. I prefer to trim the woody bottoms off the ends for a clean, fresh stalk. Asparagus is an early spring vegetable and tastes best when harvested before the flower buds open.
• Olive Oil: Use just enough to coat the asparagus in a light layer of oil to help it cook and crisp up in the oven. If you don’t have olive oil, feel free to use canola or vegetable oil instead!
• Salt & Pepper: These two simple spices simply highlight the best natural flavors of the asparagus and make it taste amazing. You can adjust the recipe amounts according to your taste preferences.

Note: For a complete list of ingredients and detailed instructions on how to make this oven-roasted asparagus recipe, take a look at the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

What To Serve With This Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Asparagus is a perfect light side dish, and it can also be a delicious ingredient in other recipes.

Here are a few serving ideas:

• Side dishes: Add roasted asparagus to dishes such as roasted vegetables and orzo, vegetable alfredo, or even make it part of your holiday dinner.
• Other roasted veggies: I personally like to make 2-3 side dishes with each dinner! Try pairing asparagus with roasted potatoes, honey roasted sweet potatoes, or roasted carrots and turnips.
• Main dishes: Include asparagus as part of chicken stir fry, asparagus quiche, shrimp fried rice, or lemon garlic chicken and asparagus.
• Also, try it on pizza, sandwiches, with scrambled eggs or frittatas, and salads!

Plus, you can easily add this dish to your weekly meal prep plan, thanks to its versatility.

Recipe Tips And Ideas

Here are a few ideas to make sure your recipe turns out perfectly every time.

• Use thick stalks for this recipe because the thin ones will get soft and mushy.
• This recipe is very basic, only using salt and pepper for seasoning. You can easily add different seasonings and herbs to change up the flavor anytime you want. Try adding minced garlic, parmesan cheese, or lemon juice when you want to change things up!
• Add crumbled bacon when you toss the asparagus with the oil.
• I recommend covering your baking sheet with a piece of foil coated in cooking spray to make clean up even faster and easier.
• Make sure to prep the asparagus correctly before cooking it so that it isn't difficult to chew. This tutorial on how to trim asparagus is very helpful.
• For a restaurant style dish, serve this with some delicious aioli.
• If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, add them to these Roasted Vegetable Grain Bowls.