Roasted Asparagus is one of our favorite ways to enjoy asparagus season! Roasting brings out the best flavor, adds a phenomenal crisp and it’s a mess free option. We love roasting asparagus with lots of butter, simple seasoning and some parmesan cheese–SO GOOD! This will be your favorite side dish for brunch, dinner or your best lunch!
There are so many variations on seasoning your asparagus for roasting. We have fallen in love with this butter parmesan herb combo and can’t urge you enough to try it!
Why Roasted Asparagus?
- Roasting your asparagus brings out so much flavor into the veggies!
- It’s a great way of cooking which preserves the maximum nutrients of the veggies.
- Your oven will do the work while you can do something else instead of watching it.
- Clean up is a breeze–especially if you use parchment or foil to roast the asparagus.
- It’s super versatile in terms of how you spice, season and flavor the asparagus.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Since we’re making a buttery parmesan seasoning today, here’s what you’ll need:
- Asparagus. Seasonal fresh and crisp, see below on how to trim it.
- Salt and pepper. Basic seasoning to bring out the flavor.
- Butter. We use unsalted butter, you may likewise use olive oil or salted butter or even ghee.
- Parmesan cheese. This is our choice for flavor, which you may skip but we highly recommend.
- Fresh herbs and chilli flakes. Also optional –we used fresh thyme leaves and chilli flakes to season the parmesan cheese.
How to Roast Asparagus
Prep Asparagus
- The very first step is to trim the ends of the asparagus. As tender as this veggies is, the ends can be woody and tough, so they should be trimmed. To do so, line up the asparagus on a board. Take one and hold it from both edges, then gently fold it over. You will see a point where it snaps.
- Line up the snapped piece next to the remaining ones and use a sharp knife to trim them to that same length.
Season The Asparagus
- Start by pouring some melted butter at the bottom of a baking sheet. You can use olive oil as well. We love butter and love using plenty of it for crisp and taste.
- Grate some fresh parmesan cheese right over the melted butter in the baking pan and season that with the fresh herbs and chilli fakes. This creates a layer of flavor and a wonderful crisp crust to the asparagus during roasting.
- In a single layer, arrange the asparagus right over the parmesan cheese on the baking sheet. Season them with salt and pepper.
- Optionally as we did here, sprinkle some more parmesan cheese, herbs, chilli flakes. Then a light drizzle of melted butter before roasting. We just LOVE flavor and those tiny little steps make a world of difference!
Roast The Asparagus
- Have your oven preheated to 425 degrees F and place the pan in for about 12-16 minutes. This depends on the size of the veggies and their thickness.
- Once tender and the parmesan cheese has crisped up to your taste, it’s ready! Remove it from the oven and serve it right away!
How To Serve Roasted Asparagus
While you can absolutely totally serve it is for a delicious side dish. We LOVE adding our favorite Burrata Cheese on top, break it up over the asparagus and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
The contrast in texture between the crisp roasted veggies and the creamy dreamy Burrata Cheese is HEAVENLY! I can’t find another word to describe this.
We add Burrata to nearly everything if we could, and even when in Italy, we asked every restaurant to add in a burrata over our meals. They thought we’re crazy. But just try these: Peach Burrata Salad, Burrata Caprese, Burrata Pizza, and Burrata Pasta. Be warned, you’ll never get enough.
Roasted Asparagus Recipe Tips
- Buy fresh seasonal asparagus that’s bright green and firm to touch. The spears should not be mushy or wilted.
- You can choose any thickness or size you want, as long as they’re all the same.
- To store fresh asparagus: place them in a glass of water with the stems at the bottom. Just fill out 2 inches of water and store that in the fridge.
- Trim the bunch once you’ve trimmed just one, and use a sharp knife.
- Don’t throw away the trimmed bottoms as they’re great for soups, stews, pestos and more!
- The flavoring of parmesan cheese, butter and herbs is optional but we LOVE it! See more below on flavor variations.
- Have your oven preheated before you place the tray in the oven.
- Try to arrange the asparagus in a single layer before roasting, this ensures even cooking without having to shake them halfway.
- It’s best to serve them right away while warm on a side of Ribeye Steak or Lamb Steaks or Best NY Strip Steak!
Seasoning and Variations
- Make it zesty with lemon zest, lemon wedges, garlic and olive oil. You can finish it off with some feta cheese.
- Have a Caprese flavor to it by adding some Basil Pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and then roasting. SO GOOD finished off with a balsamic drizzle.
- Mediterranean: season with some thyme, garlic and finish off with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese.
- Cajun: Sprinkle your favorite cajun spice blend, roast and finish off with some cheddar cheese.
- Cheeses like goat cheese and toasted almonds pair so well here for a fancy version.
How to Store Leftovers
If you actually have any leftovers, simply place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. We LOVE reheating them in the Air Fryer at 350 degrees for just 3 minutes.
More Roasted Veggies To Try
Roasted Butternut Squash
Zucchini Fries
Roasted Acorn Squash
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Honeynut Squash
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
Asparagus
- 2 lbs Asparagus trimmed, see instructions
Seasoning
- 1/2 cup butter melted, divided into 1/4 cup for the bottom and 1/4 cup for the tops
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese divided as above
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes optional
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
-
The very first step is to trim the ends of the asparagus. As tender as this veggies is, the ends can be woody and tough, so they should be trimmed. To do so, line up the asparagus on a board. Take one and hold it from both edges, then gently fold it over. You will see a point where it snaps.
-
Line up the snapped piece next to the remaining ones and use a sharp knife to trim them to that same length.
-
Season The Asparagus
-
Start by pouring some melted butter at the bottom of a baking sheet. You can use olive oil as well. We love butter and love using plenty of it for crisp and taste.
-
Grate some fresh parmesan cheese right over the melted butter in the baking pan and season that with the fresh herbs and chilli fakes. This creates a layer of flavor and a wonderful crisp crust to the asparagus during roasting.
-
In a single layer, arrange the asparagus right over the parmesan cheese on the baking sheet. Season them with salt and pepper.
-
Optionally as we did here, sprinkle some more parmesan cheese, herbs, chilli flakes. Then a light drizzle of melted butter before roasting. We just LOVE flavor and those tiny little steps make a world of difference!
-
Place the pan in for about 12-16 minutes. This depends on the size of the veggies and their thickness.
-
Once tender and the parmesan cheese has crisped up to your taste, it's ready! Remove it from the oven and serve it right away!
-
While you can absolutely totally serve it is for a delicious side dish. We LOVE adding our favorite Burrata Cheese on top, break it up over the asparagus and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
Recipe Notes
Roasted Asparagus Recipe Tips
Buy fresh seasonal asparagus that's bright green and firm to touch. The spears should not be mushy or wilted.
You can choose any thickness or size you want, as long as they're all the same.
To store fresh asparagus: place them in a glass of water with the stems at the bottom. Just fill out 2 inches of water and store that in the fridge.
Trim the bunch once you've trimmed just one, and use a sharp knife.
Don't throw away the trimmed bottoms as they're great for soups, stews, pestos and more!
The flavoring of parmesan cheese, butter and herbs is optional but we LOVE it! See more below on flavor variations.
Have your oven preheated before you place the tray in the oven.
Try to arrange the asparagus in a single layer before roasting, this ensures even cooking without having to shake them halfway.
It's best to serve them right away while warm on a side of Ribeye Steak or Lamb Steaks or Best NY Strip Steak!
Seasoning and Variations
Make it zesty with lemon zest, lemon wedges, garlic and olive oil. You can finish it off with some feta cheese.
Have a Caprese flavor to it by adding some Basil Pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and then roasting. SO GOOD finished off with a balsamic drizzle.
Mediterranean: season with some thyme, garlic and finish off with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese.
Cajun: Sprinkle your favorite cajun spice blend, roast and finish off with some cheddar cheese.
Cheeses like goat cheese and toasted almonds pair so well here for a fancy version.
How to Store Leftovers
If you actually have any leftovers, simply place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. We LOVE reheating them in the Air Fryer at 350 degrees for just 3 minutes.
This roasted asparagus was nothing short of fantastic. So yummy!
I toss the asparagus with olive oil, garlic, and a little salt and pepper, then roast it until it’s tender and slightly crispy. It’s the perfect side dish for any meal!
I’m so glad I found this recipe as its asparagus season here and we wanted to try a new recipe for it. This was just perfect. Great recipe!
This is such an amazing way to enjoy asparagus! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Excellent asparagus recipe! The layer of parmesan cheese is key!
This is so perfect! Such an easy side dish that goes with almost anything!
This roasted asparagus looks amazingly delicious. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Such an incredible recipe for roasted asparagus. It had perfect texture and great flavor!
Oooh, such a fantastic and easy way to enjoy asparagus! I love all the recipe notes to help make it perfect.
I made this asparagus with dinner last night and it was fantastic! I added the chili flakes and they were a great addition!
I love this! Such a simple side dish but very flavorful! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
We’re so excited that its asparagus season and this recipe was a great way to showcase them! I’ve never thought to put parm on top before and it made a real difference.
This is absolutely a great way to enjoy asparagus! It is so good!
The addition of the parm put this over the top. My goodness this was tasty! Thank you for the recipe!
This roasted asparagus was so flavorful and delish! Just the right amount of crunch too!