Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus

This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. Read my full privacy policy here.

I absolutely love asparagus. It’s one of my all-time favorite vegetables. I love when it’s so roasted it starts to get soft and brown and almost melts in your mouth. If you like your asparagus more on the raw side, this recipe will still work for you, but you will need to shorten the cooking time.

All the Details

As usual, start with washing your hands and wiping down the counter. Then preheat your oven to 425°F. Next thoroughly wash your asparagus. The big trick to deliciously soft asparagus is how you cut it. But before you start cutting, take a close look at the pictures below.

Basically, all you need to do is tap your knife along the stalk and feel the texture change. When the knife sinks in with little to know resistance, you have found the spot.

Everything higher on the stalk with turn tender in the oven. Everything lower will retain a lot more of its fibrous woody texture. I don’t like eating sticks.

After you are done cutting, cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with rood release. Place all the asparagus on the foil.

Then drizzle the olive oil and seasoning on top. Seasoning wise, I generally stick to salt a pepper. Maybe lemon or garlic powder if I’m feeling a little fancy. I shake enough to see sprinkles on every stalk, but not a layer. Mix the stalks around each other to make sure each one is coated. Once the oven reaches temperature, put the asparagus in for 20-30 minutes for desired doneness. Mine were done closer to the 30 minute mark.

Plate and serve with dinner! We like to eat this with everything from chicken to salmon to steak.