| Baking asparagus is quick and easy; oven-roasting brings out the natural sweetness of vegetables and asparagus has a lot of sweetness to highlight. You can have a fantastic side dish in about 15 minutes, counting prep time. |
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Baked or roasted asparagus is a quick and delicious way to prepare asparagus. |
Basic Recipe for Baked Asparagus
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Wash the asparagus and snap off the ends. Pat it dry, then toss lightly with olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. (Check midway. You want them tender and even a little crisp, but not charred or limp.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper. |
Variations for Baked Asparagus
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There are a lot of ways to vary this basic recipe to your own tastes:
- Squeeze a lemon over the spears of asparagus just before you bake them.
- Toss them with balsamic vinegar along with the olive oil, or sprinkle balsamic vinegar over the spears after you remove them from the oven.
- Sprinkle them with toasted sesame seeds.
- Add a dash of soy sauce.
- Sprinkle the asparagus spears with shredded parmesan cheese before you bake them in the oven.
- Peel and mince two cloves of garlic, toss the garlic with the olive oil and the asparagus spears, and bake the asparagus and garlic together.
- Use flavored olive oil.
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Baked Asparagus with Prosciutto
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For a delicious treat, try baked asparagus with prosciutto. You'll need:
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1 pound asparagus (choose the thickest stalks you can find)
1/4 pound prosciutto from a good deli, sliced thin
olive oil
cooking spray |
Spray a cookie sheet and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Wrap each asparagus spear in a piece of prosciutto. It doesn't need to look perfect, and if the prosciutto comes apart while you're working, that's not a big deal. Lay the wrapped spears on the cookie sheet in a single layer, then drizzle with olive oil.
Bake about ten minutes, or until the prosciutto looks crispy. (Prosciutto is a specialty ham, and comes fully cooked from the deli section of your grocery store, so you don't have to worry about undercooking it.) |
Tips for Baking Asparagus
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You don't HAVE to use olive oil. Any vegetable oil will work (though it's better with olive oil.)
If you have a family member who hates asparagus, try the baked asparagus with prosciutto. Many asparagus-haters discover they like it a lot if you wrap it in prosciutto. Also, people who dislike steamed asparagus often find that they really like it when it's baked until a little crispy and lightly salted.
Ten minutes is just a recommendation! Thinner stalks will cook more quickly, and thicker stalks will cook more slowly. Check frequently. Don't overcook! | | |
