Spring Forward with Roasted Asparagus

Add this simple and springy side dish to your repertoire. 

You know those recipes that you keep in your regular repertoire because they’re easy and everyone likes them? Hurry up and add this one. 

Roasted Asparagus is the simplest thing ever to make, and I would bet that it will convert veggie naysayers. Case-in-point: my children, since they were really little, can put away a pound of roasted asparagus in one sitting, which would never be the case if it were steamed or raw. (I will admit that one of the children does not eat the “flowers,” which is what she’s termed the tips. That’s fine, because somebody else will. Right off her plate.) Serve it with chicken, or steak, or salmon, or even burgers. You can’t go wrong.

Roasting asparagus takes literally 15 minutes, including oven time. And the process transforms the crunchy stalks into something almost sweet and definitely juicy – think juice-running-down-your-chin juicy. Salt and pepper, and a little olive oil, give the asparagus all the extra kick it needs.

We’re going to lose an hour of sleep this weekend (argh…but yay, spring!), and we’re going to need some easy recipes for the following week. Trust me with this one.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients: 

1 bunch thick stalks of asparagus, about 1 ½ pounds
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Recipe directions: 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus (this is usually about 1 to 1 ½ inches). Put the asparagus on a sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss the asparagus with your hands so that each stalk is coated with olive oil and some seasoning. Spread the stalks in a single layer on the sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 8 minutes until the asparagus is tender but not mushy.

You can always add a sprinkle of grated parmesan or a squeeze of lemon to the asparagus post-roasting, but we like it as is.