How to cook asparagus in the oven? We will reveal the recipe to you!

Baked asparagus is a different way to enjoy this typically spring vegetable. Let’s see how to do it together.

We are used to thinking about steaming or boiled asparagus cooking. In reality, baked asparagus is a great way to cook this vegetable, enhancing its taste to the maximum. In fact, this type of cooking concentrates the flavors, making the vegetables tastier and crispier .

Asparagus is good for a little bit of everything and their multiple properties make them a perfect vegetable to add to our diet. They help fight water retention, regulate the level of glucose in the blood (very important for those who suffer from diabetes ), contain few calories and many fibers, help microcirculation, fight hypertension and, last but not least, improve blood pressure. humor. In short, there is no excuse not to eat them!

Preparation of the asparagus in the oven without boiling

1. First you need to clean the asparagus. Slightly bend the end of the stem with two hands in order to break it. In this way you will divide the tender part from the woody one, 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 sheet lined with parchment paper and season with oil, salt and pepper . Moving them with your hands, make sure that all the sauce is distributed.
4. Add a handful or two of grated cheese and breadcrumbs to create a delicious cover for the vegetables.
5. Bake at 180 ° C for 20 minutes , then take them out of the oven and use them for the preparations you prefer.

In our opinion, this simple side dish does not need to be pre-boiled or steamed, so as not to risk that the second cooking in the oven makes them too soft and not at all crunchy in the right places. Furthermore, if you prefer, you can also replace the oil with a few knobs of butter which will make everything even more delicious.

Baked green asparagus – the simplest variant and other ideas

The recipe we have proposed to you is, as you can see, that of baked au gratin asparagus, always appreciated during any meal. However, there is an even faster and lighter version for this side dish, to prepare very fast and light baked asparagus, all you have to do is season them only 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 in a baking tray covered with parchment 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, appetizer, or greedy side dish to share in companions. Not only that, after having cooked them with the gratin technique, you can prepare many recipes with asparagus : risotto, savory pies, or serve them as a main course in combination with the classic poached egg.

We advise you to try them with the aforementioned poached egg, the pairing par excellence, or to bring a vegan dish to the table, prepare a chickpea hummus and serve it together with the asparagus: you will feel what goodness!

storage

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