A quick and easy vegetable dish — roasted asparagus with a lemon vinaigrette dressing, green onions and fresh lemon zest.
Roasted asparagus is one of the easiest ways to enjoy this seasonal vegetable.
This dish pairs the green spears with a lemony vinaigrette.
It’s a very uncomplicated recipe — a crazy simple way to enjoy asparagus, the vegetable harbinger of spring.
Ingredients for the recipe:
- Asparagus spears
- Green onion
- Fresh Italian parsley
- Shallot
- Fresh lemon
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Asparagus has a relatively short season, but it’s so easy to cook you might want to bookmark a handful of different ways to prepare it before getting bored.
The fresh, grassy flavor of asparagus is a perfect match with anything citrusy and acidic.
While plain roasted asparagus tastes wonderful, the spears soak up this lemony shallot dressing like a champ.
How to roast asparagus
To prep asparagus for roasting:
- Trim off the woody ends of the asparagus. An easy way to do this is to hold each spear and and snap where it naturally breaks.
- Rinse the asparagus in cold water to remove any sand or grit.
- Pat dry and lay the spears in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Drizzle the asparagus with the dressing (or plain olive oil) and a splash of water.
- Bake in the oven until the asparagus begins to brown on the tips, 10-12 minutes.
How long to roast asparagus
It will take just 10-12 minutes to cook asparagus in the oven at 450 degrees.
Trim the woody ends off the asparagus and lay on a baking sheet, then put into a preheated 450-degree oven.
To roast asparagus at 425 degrees, increase the cooking time by about 5 more minutes.
Serving roasted asparagus
The roasted asparagus makes a perfect vegetable side, but this recipe is pretty versatile.
- Make a salad by arranging the asparagus on a bed of greens.
- Slice into 3-inch pieces and stir into risotto or pasta.
- Sprinkle the roasted asparagus with Parmesan or other hard cheese before serving.
More simple and delicious asparagus recipes
- Baked Asparagus Frittata with Goat Cheese
- Toasted Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Chickpeas
- Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Pasta
FOLLOW ALONG! Sign up for my newsletter and get my Dinner Plan + Shopping List, and follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all the latest recipes and content.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) asparagus
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) very finely chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar
- Freshly grated zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon (25 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ½ – ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 green onion, root end and one inch green top trimmed
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 (225C) degrees.
- Trim off the tough ends from the asparagus and place on a small rimmed baking sheet.
- Whisk together shallot, vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
- Pour 2 tablespoon of the vinaigrette over the asparagus and season to taste with black pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water.Â
- Slice the green onion into thin rings. Combine the green onion, parsley and remaining lemon zest in a small bowl.Â
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast 10 – 12 minutes, until the asparagus is beginning to brown at the tips.
- Transfer asparagus to a serving plate. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle with the parsley mixture. Finish the dish with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if you like.
Kristen says
This looks so good!
Susan says
I make almost this exact recipe but with green beans instead of asparagus. Now, I’ll be making it with asparagus next!