Few things say “Spring” like asparagus. And when it comes to quick, delicious side dishes, roasted asparagus is hard to beat. It’s one of those recipes that proves simple ingredients and minimal effort can still deliver amazing results. Whether you’re pulling together a weeknight dinner or setting the table for a more elaborate meal like a springtime brunch, this roasted asparagus is an easy win — ready in about 10 minutes, so let’s get into it!
These are all the ingredients you need — simple pantry staples that pack a ton of flavor.Roasting asparagus is a great way to highlight its natural sweetness while giving it just a little bit of caramelized, nutty flavor. Here I give your standard roasted asparagus a little Funky Asian Kitchen treatment with a quick toss in soy butter. The melted butter and soy sauce gives it a savory, rich finish that makes it downright irresistible. No complicated techniques, no fancy ingredients — just a little bit of oven magic. (and FYI, the melted butter/soy sauce combo is a great trick to add flavor to all kinds of roasted veggies, and even to drizzle over simply cooked proteins, try it with fish!)
There are a couple of tricks to roasting asparagus successfully, which is a little different than roasting other veggies. First, choose the thickest asparagus spears you can find. Asparagus cooks very quickly and those thin pencil asparagus that look lovely blanched will be a burnt mess if you try it with this technique, because we are roasting at a very high temperature. The reason why you need the temperature so high is because asparagus is very watery and will steam instead of roast if you don’t crank up the heat. Finally, oil is typically used in roasting vegetables, but I use butter here not only for flavor, but also because butter has a lower smoking point and will help in achieving some toasty color.
I start my Roasted Asparagus by trimming the stalks. Though you can find it year round now, asparagus is at its peak in Spring. Look for firm stalks, with tightly closed tips. Stay away from discolored stalks or any packages that look wet. In general, I prefer fat spears of asparagus if I have a choice. They have better flavor and texture but you definitely need it here. Stay away from pencil asparagus for this recipe.
The bottom couple inches of the spears are too tough and woody to eat, so first you need to remove it. Snap the ends off by hand — the asparagus naturally breaks where it turns tender. (This method will remove a couple inches of stalk. If you feel that wastes a lot of the asparagus, feel free to use a knife to cut off the bottom inch to 2 inches.)
I cut the spears into bite-sized pieces for faster, more even roasting.
I pour the melted butter on top:
Then I pour the soy sauce on top:
A generous grind of black pepper:
And then a quick toss with clean hands to make sure everything is mixed:
Spread the asparagus out in a single layer so it roasts evenly. It is very important that you have adequate space on the baking sheet. You should have a maximum of 3/4 of the baking sheet full. Any more than that and the asparagus will steam instead of roast.
I roast them for 5-7 minutes, I like them to get some nice browned color.
Perfectly roasted asparagus — tender with just a bit of char:
If you find that you want a little more color on your asparagus, feel free to broil it for a minute on the top rack.
Want to turn this quick side into a light supper? Top them with our Perfect Fried Eggs! Roasted asparagus is also a perfect way to round out my Sticky Char Siu Ribs. Or make a double batch and add leftovers to these Chilled Kimchi Noodles. However you enjoy them, we want to hear about it! Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Roasted Asparagus
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Asparagus
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- Fresh Ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and set the oven rack to the middle.
Prepare the asparagus: Break the ends off of the asparagus by holding the asparagus at the base. It will naturally break where the asparagus becomes tender. (Some people think this is wasteful and prefer to just use a knife to cut off the woody ends. In this case, cut about 1 ½ inches off of the bottom).
Cut the asparagus into 1 ½ inch pieces and place them on a baking sheet. Make sure that you are using a large enough baking sheet and you only have 1/2-3/4 of the pan filled in a single layer.
Microwave the butter for 1 minute to melt it and then pour it over the asparagus. Add the soy sauce and ground black pepper. Mix with clean hands and then place the tray of asparagus in the oven.
Roast for 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. If the asparagus is a little pale, broil for a a minute or two on the top rack.
Transfer roasted asparagus to a plate and serve immediately.
Notes
*This recipe is easily doubled. Make sure you are using a large baking sheet if that is the case. Plenty of room for hot air circulation allows for the best roasting.
Keywords: spring, veggies, asparagus, brunch, quick, sides, healthy sides,
