Fresh Roasted Asparagus

Roasted asparagus recipe is an easy, delicious spring side dish. The spears are tender, juicy, and flavorful. Ready in 15 minutes! Asparagus season is far too short—in many places, it only lasts from April to June. While it’s here, you will enjoy this roasted asparagus recipe as often as you can. I hope you’ll have it on repeat too!

Tips to select asparagus:

• Asparagus spears should be straight and firm. Close up of the purple tips of a bundle of vegetables, asparagus.
• The tips of asparagus should be compact and pointed.
• Avoid stalks of asparagus that are flat, wilted, limp, or angular.
• Asparagus spears should be 7–12 inches in length.
• Bundled spears should be approximately the same size and diameter as this will allow them to cook more evenly.

How to make Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 4 to 5 tbsp. olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. After you wash the asparagus thoroughly, stack a bunch together and lop off the tough/thick bottom an inch or so.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the asparagus in a single layer. Pat them as dry as you can, as you don’t want any water to “steam” the asparagus in the oven.
4. Generously drizzle olive oil all over the asparagus, then sprinkle the asparagus generously with salt and pepper.
5. Roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes. The secret here is for the oven to be very hot so the asparagus can begin to brown on the outside without overcooking and getting too flimsy. You want the finished asparagus to still have a bite to it. Enjoy!

Storage

• Asparagus is highly perishable, so it needs to be chilled in the refrigerator as soon as possible. A bundle of asparagus stalks with a yellow rubber band around them.
• Do not wash asparagus before refrigerating—it promotes bacterial growth.
• Asparagus may be refrigerated up to four days by wrapping the bottom ends of the stalks in a damp paper towel and then placing them in an unsealed, plastic, food-grade storage bag.