Try this baked asparagus with parmesan for holidays and special occasions, but also to liven up your weeknight routine. It's ready in about 15 minutes and you only need 3 ingredients!
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Asparagus is one of those vegetables that seems so swanky. Why is that? It can be baked in the oven just like any other roasted vegetable like butternut squash or carrots. What's the big deal? What makes asparagus so special?
Sometimes it's a steakhouse side dish, or maybe you only see it on holidays, so it gets an aura of rarity. Let's change that.
I'm going to help you turn this baked asparagus with parmesan into an every day occurrence. Something you make on a weeknight just because you can.
The asparagus bakes in little more than 5 minutes, and the parmesan gets melty and delicious on top within about 2 more. How can you turn that down?
Once you master this basic baked asparagus recipe, you'll be on to all kinds of ideas to zhuzh it up and serve it more often!
Jump to:
- Baked asparagus with parmesan is quick, easy and full of flavor!
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to choose and store fresh asparagus
- Recommended tools and equipment
- How to trim asparagus
- How to make baked asparagus with parmesan
- Tips for baked asparagus with parmesan
- Why you should bake asparagus at 400 degrees
- How long to bake asparagus
- Serving suggestions
- FAQ
- More asparagus recipes
- Recipe
Baked asparagus with parmesan is quick, easy and full of flavor!
- Ready in about 15 minutes!
- Baked on parchment paper for easy cleanup!
- The asparagus needs almost no prep, just snap off the bottom of the stalk.
- Tons of umami and richness from melted parmesan cheese that gets crispy on the edges.
- It's vegetarian and gluten free.
Ingredients you'll need
You only need 3 ingredients to make baked asparagus with parmesan! (Because we don't count pantry staples.)
- Fresh asparagus: Asparagus is a harbinger of spring but delicious year round. You'll want green asparagus for this recipe, not white. It doesn't matter if your asparagus is thick or thin, just make sure they are all about the same thickness so they will all be evenly baked.
- Parmesan cheese: Please use REAL parmigiano reggiano and grate it yourself if you can. It tastes so much better. We're really getting all of the flavor in this recipe from just two ingredients—parmesan and asparagus—so make sure both of them are the highest quality for the best flavor.
- Lemon: We'll use the lemon zest to and a squeeze of the juice to brighten things up just before serving.
- Olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
How to choose and store fresh asparagus
Fresh asparagus should have firm stalks that are not limp or bendy. They should be a nice bright green along the middle, darker green at the tip, and fade to white or pinkish-purple at the bottom.
The tips should be tight and a dark green or purple. If they are light yellow or brown, the asparagus is bad. The bottom of the stalks should not look too dry or woody.
PRO TIP We want really fresh asparagus for this recipe because once it's baked with the parmesan, we want it to keep its vibrant flavor and color. If you've selected asparagus that's past its prime, it will already have lost most of the flavor and won't give us the snappy, crisp-tender texture we're looking for.
Asparagus doesn't last very long, so you should use it as soon as possible after buying, within a day if you can. To store in the refrigerator, trim the bottoms, wrap in a wet paper towel, and place in an open plastic bag until ready to use.
If you want to store it for another day or two, trim the ends and place in a glass with a shallow amount of water in a part of the fridge that doesn't get too cold. (You don't want the water to start to freeze and damage the asparagus. Speaking from experience here...)
Recommended tools and equipment
- Box grater: For grating the parmesan cheese.
- Microplane grater and chef's knife: To zest and slice the lemon.
- Parchment paper and sheet pan: For the baked asparagus. The type of sheet pan you use makes a difference, darker pans = faster cooking times.
How to trim asparagus
Asparagus stalks are hard and woody at the bottom, so they must be trimmed before you bake them. This is a super-easy process!
- Grasp the asparagus with both hands near the bottom of the stalk.
- Bend gently until the bottom breaks off.
You might be afraid that you're breaking them in the wrong place and throwing too much of your asparagus away. This is not the case. (And don't worry, you can use the stems in other ways.)
As long as you are grasping them near the bottom, asparagus stalks will naturally break where they are supposed to. Trust them to break where they are supposed to. Snap those asparagus stems without fear!
Now if you want to be fancy and use a knife to cut them on a bias or something, I'm not stopping you, but snapping them will do just fine.
How to make baked asparagus with parmesan
PREP TIP Baked asparagus takes almost no time to cook, so you need to prep all of your ingredients before you put it in the oven.
Step 1: Grate the parmesan cheese and zest the lemon
Grate the parmesan on the small holes of a box grater and set aside.
Use a microplane grater to zest the lemon, then cut it in half.
Step 2: Trim and season the asparagus
Wash the asparagus and dry it gently with a kitchen towel. Trim the stems off the asparagus by bending gently near the bottom until they break off.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the asparagus on the baking sheet, then drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper. Mix them around until evenly coated, then spread them out a little.
Step 3: Prep and bake the asparagus
Bake the asparagus on the center rack of the oven for about 6 - 8 minutes until it is bright green and has softened slightly but is not mushy.
Step 4: Add the parmesan to the baked asparagus
Remove the asparagus from the oven and scoot the stalks closer together. Top with all of the parmesan cheese. Bake it for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Remove from oven, transfer to a serving plate and top with the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with extra lemon wedges on the side if desired.
Tips for baked asparagus with parmesan
- It's important to use parchment paper for this recipe. The baked asparagus won't stick to the pan, but the parmesan will. If you use parchment, you'll get melted parmesan seeping between the asparagus stalks, AND you'll still be able to scoop that up and put it on the plate. Without parchment, it just sticks to the sheet pan and goes down the drain with the dirty dishes, which is sad and bad.
- Don't forget to spread the asparagus out a bit so there's space in between each stalk when you put it in the oven. If they are too close together, instead of getting baked, the asparagus will steam and get soggy, and it will be hard for the parmesan to stick to them.
- If you double the recipe, divide between two sheet pans and place racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.
Why you should bake asparagus at 400 degrees
Asparagus is a somewhat delicate vegetable. Baking it at 400 degrees ensures that you have enough heat to cook it gently but quickly.
Long cooking at a lower temperature could cause it to get mushy. Baked asparagus cooked at 400 degrees keeps the integrity and flavor of the asparagus intact, yet still cooks it all the way through. It also gives you just enough heat to melt the parmesan gently.
How long to bake asparagus
How long should you bake asparagus? This is a hotly contentious issue. Listen, asparagus cooks FAST! You really only need to bake it for a few minutes, depending on your preferred texture. I like about 6 - 8 minutes, a couple more if it's really thick.
Keep in mind that you're also going to add time for the parmesan to melt, so that adds a couple of minutes to your baked asparagus overall. If you're unsure, test a couple of spears before you put all of it in the oven.
Serving suggestions
Baked asparagus with parmesan is suited to almost any occasion. Asparagus is at its peak in Spring, so serve it at Easter with Leg of Lamb or Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce. Get that swanky, fancy dinner effect going when you serve it with Cast Iron Skillet Steak or Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs. And remember to bring it into your weeknight routine alongside other quick-cooking recipes like Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Capers.
FAQ
This is a fancy, chef-y technique that you often see. In most cases, no I don't think you need to peel the asparagus. Since we are snapping off the woody bottoms and cooking it for just a few minutes, the skin is unlikely to get tough. If it is very late in the season, with thick stalks and thick skin, then you might want to.
So many things! Use them in stock, add them to pasta water or risotto water for great flavor! If the stems aren't too woody, you can peel and slice them to use in slaw or add them to soups and stews.
More asparagus recipes
Asparagus is so versatile and can be used in so many ways! Try these ideas.
- An Asparagus Tart with Puff Pastry is baked until crispy with guess what—more parmesan cheese! Also Gruyère for melty goodness.
- For this Roasted Vegetable Salad, we're going to grill the asparagus for a bit of smoky flavor.
- How about a light, bright Asparagus Pasta with Lemon that's ready in 30 minutes?
Recipe
Baked Asparagus with Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese about 1 ounce
- zest and juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Grate the parmesan on the small holes of a box grater and set aside. Use a microplane grater to zest the lemon, then cut it in half.
- Wash the asparagus and dry it gently with a kitchen towel. Trim the stems off the asparagus by bending gently near the bottom until they break off.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the asparagus on the baking sheet, then drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper. Mix them around until evenly coated, then spread them out a little.
- Bake the asparagus on the center rack of the oven for about 6 - 8 minutes until it is bright green and has softened slightly but is not mushy.
- Remove the asparagus from the oven and scoot the stalks closer together. Top with all of the parmesan cheese. Bake it for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, transfer to a serving plate and top with the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with extra lemon wedges on the side if desired.
Notes
- It's important to use parchment paper for this recipe. The baked asparagus won't stick to the pan, but the parmesan will. If you use parchment, you'll get melted parmesan seeping between the asparagus stalks, AND you'll still be able to scoop that up and put it on the plate. Without parchment, it just sticks to the sheet pan and goes down the drain with the dirty dishes, which is sad and bad.
- Don't forget to spread the asparagus out a bit so there's space in between each stalk when you put it in the oven. If they are too close together, instead of getting baked, the asparagus will steam and get soggy, and it will be hard for the parmesan to stick to them.
- Be sure to read the post above for tips on choosing and trimming asparagus, why 400 degrees F is the best baking temp, and more!
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