Baked asparagus

Oven-cooked asparagus is a different way to enjoy this typically spring vegetable. Let's see together how to do it.

We are used to thinking about steaming or boiling asparagus. In reality, baked asparagus is an excellent way to cook this vegetable, maximizing its flavour. This type of cooking in fact concentrates the flavours, making the vegetables tastier and crispier .

Asparagus is good for just about everything and their multiple properties make them a perfect vegetable to introduce into our diet. They help fight water retention, regulate blood glucose levels (very important for those who suffer from diabetes ), contain few calories and many fibres, help the microcirculation, fight hypertension and, last but not least, improve humor. In short, there are no excuses not to eat them!

Preparation of baked asparagus without boiling

1. First you need to clean the asparagus. Lightly bend the final part of the stem with two hands so as to break it. In this way you will divide the soft part from the woody part, which will be thrown away.
2. Then wash them under running water and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
3. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and season them with oil, salt and pepper . Moving them with your hands, make sure that all the seasoning is distributed. If you want you can replace the oil with melted butter.
4. Add one or two handfuls of grated cheese and breadcrumbs to create a delicious blanket for the vegetables.
5. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes , then remove from the oven and use them for your favorite preparations.

In our opinion, this simple side dish does not need pre-boiling or steaming, to avoid the risk of the second cooking in the oven making them too soft and not at all crunchy in the right places. However, you can also boil them in hot water for about 5 – 7 minutes , just like this very simple video recipe to replicate:

Baked green asparagus: the simplest variant and other ideas

The recipe we have proposed is, as you can see, that of baked asparagus au gratin, always appreciated during any meal. However, there is an even quicker and lighter version for this side dish. To prepare very quick and light baked asparagus, all you have to do is season them with salt, oil and pepper and put them to cook in a pan.

However, there is not only this possibility: you can prepare something special by making rolls with asparagus and baked bacon. To make them, season the asparagus with oil, salt and pepper, wrap each stalk with a thin slice of bacon and close it. Place the rolls on a baking tray covered with baking paper and cook for about 20 minutes at 160°C . And this is just one of the delicious ideas that you can prepare for an aperitif, starter, or delicious side dish to share with friends. Not only that, after having cooked them with the gratin technique, you can prepare many recipes with asparagus : risottos, savory pies, or serve them as a second course in combination with the classic poached egg.

We recommend trying them with the aforementioned poached egg, the combination par excellence, or to bring a vegan dish to the table, prepare a chickpea hummus and serve it together with asparagus: you will taste how delicious!

storage

Our baked asparagus can be kept in the fridge for a maximum of 1 day , well covered in cling film. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.

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