Easy Roasted Asparagus Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What cooking method is best for asparagus? ›

Thin asparagus is great for stir fries and sautéing. Fat asparagus is good for roasting or grilling, and best when you want to serve whole spears, even simply steamed. Medium spears work in almost any cooking method.

If your roasted asparagus is soggy, you may have overcooked it. In a hot oven at 425 degrees, asparagus only needs to roast for about 10 minutes—any longer and it can become limp and soggy. You should also be sure to pat the asparagus dry and spread them out into a single layer before roasting.

Chop the spears into 1-inch pieces and drop them into the boiling water for about 1 minute, or until tender but still bright green. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the blanched asparagus to the ice water and chill for 1 minute. Drain, pat dry, and toss into salads, pastas, or squeeze with lemon and enjoy!

I trim the ends and then rinse the stalks and let them sit in cold water for five minutes. It hydrates the asparagus, and they cook more quickly, for they are already wet with some moisture within them. Do not soak them for thirty minutes, you are not trying to get them soggy.

Boiling green vegetables in a small amount of water means bathing them in a virtual soup of color destroyers. Add something alkaline, such as baking soda, and the chemical reactions are altered so the chlorophyll turns bright green. Unfortunately, alkalinity also speeds up the breakdown of plant tissues.

Set a pan of salted water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook, covered, until the spears are tender. How long this will take depends on their thickness. Medium-thin to medium spears will take about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes, jumbos a bit longer.

Snap any woody tips off the asparagus where they naturally break apart. Put on a roasting tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12 mins until tender.

One thing you definitely don't want to do is wash asparagus before storing it—the added moisture will cause the spears to get slimy. When you're ready to cook, just give them a quick rinse under cool running water and pat them dry with a kitchen towel, as Pradhan recommends.

Does asparagus get softer the longer you cook it? Yes, it does. But you don't want to cook it too long or it will be soggy. That's fine when using in a soup, but not so much as a roasted side.

What is the most popular way to eat asparagus? ›

Asparagus develops a rich flavor when roasted, making this one of the most popular ways to eat the vegetable.

One easy way to cook asparagus is to blanch it. Not only is it quick, but blanching also helps retain the vegetable's vibrant green color. Plus, blanched asparagus results in a crisp-tender texture, perfect for recipes like Asparagus Salad with Eggs & Jambon de Bayonne and Tarragon Scallops on Asparagus Spears.