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This easy baked asparagus recipe is ready in 20 minutes and bursting with flavor. Perfectly tender-crisp with a hint of char, it’s the veggie side you’ll crave all spring and summer long!
What’s your favorite way to make asparagus? Here’s ours: this easy baked asparagus! It’s roasted in a hot oven until tender but still beautifully green, then spritzed with lemon (the secret to making this healthy veggie taste over-the-moon good).
Why we love this recipe: Roasted asparagus is the perfect way to cook asparagus: it comes out perfectly tender with a slight char to the flavor. We love to sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese to the pan to infuse even more salty, savory flavor. Even better, it’s a side dish that’s simple enough to whip up while you’re in the midst of cooking easy dinner.
A few other ways to cook asparagus? Try grilled asparagus, roasted asparagus, broiled asparagus, sauteed asparagus or steamed asparagus.
How to make baked asparagus: step by step
To be honest, I was pretty iffy on asparagus growing up. The image of pushing lifeless green stalks around on my plate as a child is seared into my memory! It wasn’t until adulthood that I started to give it a chance. Even today, when asparagus isn’t cooked correctly it can send me right back to those days.
Luckily this baked asparagus recipe makes it taste so good, even our toddler gobbled it up! The lemon and Parmesan asparagus combo is a smash hit every time. How long to bake asparagus? Bake it for 10 to 15 minutes at 425°F. Here’s what to do (or go right to the recipe):
Step 1: Cut the asparagus to remove the woody ends. Throw them on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Step 2: Toss the asparagus with olive oil to coat, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Step 3: Bake at 425°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until the largest stem is fork tender. The timing depends on the thickness of the stalks.
Flavor variations
We love this baked asparagus recipe most with lemon and Parmesan cheese. But there are so many ways to step it up! Here are a few ideas:
- Top with grated Pecorino cheese for a salty flair.
- Mix the spears with a seasoning blend before baking, like Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, or even ranch seasoning.
- Top with a sauce, like lemon dill sauce or mustard sauce.
Ways to serve baked asparagus
This baked asparagus recipe is a great side dish to have as part of your repertoire because it’s so versatile. It has an elegant vibe: there’s nothing pedestrian about baked asparagus with Parmesan, right? It says, I have my stuff together. (Or whatever word you’d like to insert there.)
Another bonus for asparagus is that it’s relatively high in fiber (1 cup of cooked asparagus has 4 grams of fiber). So it’s great for pairing with a vegetable-free meal like cheesy risotto or mac and cheese. Here are a few great recipes to serve it with:
- Salmon: Try baked salmon, lemon dill salmon, miso salmon, or grilled salmon.
- Risotto: Use it in asparagus risotto, or try it with classic risotto or truffle risotto.
- Chicken: Add it to a chicken recipe to a make quick dinner, like lemon garlic chicken, Parmesan crusted chicken, pesto chicken, or blackened chicken.
- Pasta: Take pasta to the next level. Make it with broccoli mac and cheese, garlic butter noodles, or shrimp primavera.
Storing leftovers
Store leftover baked asparagus for up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
More easy side dish recipes
This baked Parmesan asparagus is part of a collection of our best vegetable side dishes! Ready to jump on the train? Let us know if you try it in the comments, or check out more of our easy asparagus recipes. Here are a few more you’ll love to make on the regular:
- This fried broccoli is a healthy side dish we make on the regular.
- Try lemon herb steamed cauliflower, which cooks up in minutes.
- These lemony steamed green beans are zingy from the lemon and take only 10 minutes to make.
- Try asparagus salad with feta, which highlights this veggie with lemon, radishes, feta, and a Dijon dressing.
Dietary notes
This baked asparagus recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the Parmesan cheese or go to roasted asparagus.
Frequently asked questions
Fresh asparagus spears should be firm and snap easily when bent near the base. The tips should be tightly closed and not flowering.
No, peeling asparagus is not necessary for most recipes, especially if the spears are thin and tender. You can cut off the woody ends about an inch from the bottom.
This recipe is a great base for customization! Explore different flavor combinations by adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze after baking, seasoning with Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, or topping with lemon dill sauce after baking.
Chop off the woody ends of the asparagus, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and bake it on a lined baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes at 425°F.
Baked Asparagus with Parmesan
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This easy baked asparagus recipe is ready in 20 minutes and bursting with flavor. Perfectly tender-crisp with a hint of char, it’s the veggie side you’ll crave all spring and summer long!
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lemon (zest from half, plus slices from the other half)
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cut off the tough bottom ends of the asparagus. Add the asparagus stalks to a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, and add the kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the zest of ½ lemon and mix with your hands. Thinly slice 4 lemon wheels from the the lemon, then add them right on the tray. Sprinkle everything with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced by a fork at the thickest part. The timing will depend on the thickness of the asparagus spears (ours in the photo were done at 12 minutes). Serve immediately. Store leftovers for up to 3 days refrigerated.
Notes
This recipe is a great base for customization! Explore different flavor combinations by seasoning with Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze, or serving with lemon dill sauce.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Vegetables
Let us know if you have any questions!