Thursday, October 16, 2008

Roasted Asparagus

This is sort of the same story as my Brussels Sprouts...I never thought I'd get my husband to eat this, but now he loves it! This veggie is simple, very quick and presents well!

You can use fresh or frozen asparagus. If using fresh asparagus, select spears that have purple tips and thin stalks; the thicker the stalk the woodier the texture. Cut or snap off the woody ends. If using frozen, I would suggest petite, whole spears and there is no need to thaw the small spears, they'll cook super quick in the oven.

Spread asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands, massaging the oil onto the asparagus to ensure even coating all around. Place in a 400 degree oven. Time with vary depending on size of stalk. Watch closely as thin and petite spears can take as few at 5 minutes while thicker stalks could take 10-15 minutes. You're looking for a tender stalks but not limp so don't overcook!

2 comments:

Ryan said...

We loved to roast asparagus. Sometimes we roast it with a little freshley grated parmesan on top and sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar on top when ready to eat. YUM!!! (They don't really have aparagus here so this is sounding REALLY good). Thanks for all the veggie recipes. I've been trying to get my kids to eat more veggies so I'll definitely be trying some of these.

Amanda said...

definitely try the sweet potato fries. Jennifer Jensen was having the same problem with not being able to get her kids to eat veggies and I shared my roasted sweet potatoes with her a couple years ago and she was so happy that the kids loved them :)

I completely agree with parmesan and balsamic on the asparagus! I find the kids prefer them plain, though.