Our simple baked asparagus recipe is the perfect side dish or snack. Learn how to bake asparagus so that you can make a delicious recipe the whole family will enjoy without much effort!
We typically bake or steam our asparagus. Asparagus is full of flavor, and it’s a great green side dish for kids to enjoy. Our daughter has grown up noshing on cooked asparagus and preferred it over string beans, so we make it pretty often. It’s really simple to make right in the oven. We keep the seasonings pretty simple, always with 5 ingredients. We love adding some freshly squeezed lemon and lemon zest to our asparagus recipe as well, but it tastes delicious without it too!
How to Bake Asparagus
Making oven baked asparagus is easy! You’ll first want to start by cleaning your asparagus and preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. The ends of the asparagus can be tough to chew and very fibrous, so many people remove them. To remove the ends you’ll just snap it off, it will snap off naturally in the weak spot, and you’ll have a perfect piece of asparagus to bake. Don’t toss the ends; they’re great for making stocks. Another option is to peel the ends and trim off a little bit. The thinner the asparagus is, the less fibrous and woody.
Once your asparagus is cleaned and trimmed you’ll place it on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings and then back. How long to bake asparagus depends on the thickness of your asparagus. A thin asparagus spear will cook quicker than a thick asparagus spear. We cook thin for about 15 minutes; thicker is usually 20-25 minutes. We prefer our asparagus al dente, which is to cook firm with a bit of a bite. Mushy asparagus is not what we’re after, but if you are you can bake it longer.
After baking your asparagus you’ll want to drizzle it with a little bit of fresh lemon. We like to drizzle the lemon on the asparagus after cooking this way we’re not cooking the lemon flavor away, we love it fresh and bold.
Asparagus is one of our favorite Spring vegetables, it’s full of vitamins A, C, and E. Plus it has tons of folate that keeps your heart healthy. Asparagus also contains potassium! Asparagus can make your pee smell, but did you know that only about one quarter of people can smell those compounds creating the smell?
WATCH OUR VIDEO ON BAKING ASPARAGUS
Want to know more about asparagus? See our post All About Asparagus
For a super colorful dinner serve with our Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes!
Baked Asparagus Recipe
Baked Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place asparagus onto a sheet pan and top with lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake thin asparagus for 15 minutes, thicker asparagus for 20-25 minutes.
- Drizzle with a little fresh lemon if desired once fully cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
Bree says
January 29, 2018 at 9:14 amThis baked up in no time. My family loves the thinner asparagus too! Will be making often, thank you!