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Roasting Asparagus in the Oven

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Roasting asparagus is one of the easiest ways to prepare this wonderful vegetable. Today we are going to roast asparagus in the oven and top it with some brown butter, flavored with bay leaf and balsamic vinegar. The combination is truly inspirational.

Roasting asparagus is super easy, delicious and results in the perfect gluten free and low carb veggie side dish.

Roasting asparagus with brown butter and balsamic vinegar is absolutely delicious.

ROASTING ASPARAGUS + BROWN BUTTER + BALSAMIC VINEGAR = VEGGIE NIRVANA

It is asparagus season. Yep, asparagus is a spring vegetable and it really is at the peak of its natural flavor right now. The asparagus that I used for this recipe were picked by friends of ours in their yard. Talk about sourcing your food locally. I mention that they were hand picked for a reason though… you will notice that some are large and some are small. You’ll never find bundles like this in the grocery store. For the grocery they are packaged all in the same size.

Asparagus is tender and slightly sweet. If you have bitter asparagus typically it means that it is either old or was cooked incorrectly. When roasting asparagus in the oven, the flavor concentrates and picks up a slight caramelization. Mixing this robust roasted veggie with the delicate nuttiness of browned butter and sweet acidity of balsamic, the combination works together to create a true eating experience. It just tastes so damn good. When I make these, typically I make more than needed simply because they fly off the table with record speed.

Roasting asparagus with brown butter and balsamic intensifies the flavors to mythical proportions.
Fresh spring asparagus is delicious after it is roasted in the oven. When you add in some brown butter and balsamic- it transforms into something mythical. Yum.

QUICK COOKING TIP: Really keep an eye on the butter when it is browning. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned the butter by doing too many things at one time. It goes from perfectly browned to perfectly burned within a matter of seconds.

Also (and I mention this in the recipe too), be sure to keep the heat in check when browning the butter. Just remember that when you remove the butter from the heat, the pan will keep cooking the butter. If that pan is too hot, no matter what you do when you remove the butter from the heat, it will scorch. There’s few things in life more frustrating than watching your perfectly browned butter turn black in the pan right before you eyes.

Roasting asparagus is simple. All we need is olive oil, salt and pepper.
Step 1: Coat the asparagus with oil, salt and pepper. That’s all we need to start roasting.
Roasting asparagus in the oven adds wonderful flavor, then we add in the brown butter and balsamic too.
Step 2: While the asparagus is roasting, let’s start to make the brown butter. I like some bay leaf in mine- it adds just a little extra flavor.
When roasting asparagus, we need to make some brown butter and be careful not to let it burn.
Step 3: Make sure that your heat isn’t too high under the butter. This is the color we want, but the pan will carry-over cook once the heat is off and continue to brown (or burn) the butter.
When roasting asparagus, making a brown butter balsamic sauce will take it from great to grand!
Step 4: After the butter has browned, allow it to cool. Add in the balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil quickly over high heat. Continue to stir well so the sugar doesn’t burn to the pan.
Roasting asparagus takes just a bit of time in the oven, and is the perfect vegetable side dish for just about any meal.
Step 5: Remove the roasted asparagus from the oven. It should be tender and delicious. Check one to make sure that it is cooked to your preferred level.
Roasting asparagus in the oven is a wonderful way to enhance the flavor of asparagus. Pair it with brown butter balsamic sauce to elevate even further!
Step 6: Pour the brown butter and balsamic sauce right onto the baking sheet with the roasted asparagus. Mix lightly with some tongs and serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

ROASTING ASPARAGUS IN THE OVEN

ROASTING ASPARAGUS IN THE OVEN

Making the best roasted asparagus is easy… just a little love in the oven and some brown butter. You’ll come back to the recipe time and again.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 LB Asparagus, woody parts trimmed
  • 1 TBSP Olive Oil
  • 1 TSP Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 TSP Fresh Cracker Pepper
  • 2 TBSP Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 TSP Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions

Roasting the Asparagus

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
  2. Lay the trimmed asparagus on the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper over the asparagus. Mix up gently with your hands or some tongs. Make sure the asparagus is laying flat before putting into the oven.
  3. Roast for 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your asparagus. It may need to cook longer if it is really huge.

Making the Brown Butter

  1. Heat a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and the bay leaf. When the butter melts, turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 2-3 minutes. You will see the butter start to foam. Stir until the butter starts to brown and turn the heat off. Remove the pan when the butter is browned.
  2. After the butter cools, add in the balsamic vinegar. Stir well and heat over high heat until it bubbles. Stir constantly so the sugar from the balsamic doesn’t burn in the pan. As soon as it bubbles, remove from the heat and pour over the asparagus in the rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Mix the asparagus and brown butter gently with some tongs.
  4. Serve hot and enjoy.

Notes

When you are browning the butter, make sure that the pan doesn’t get too hot. It has residual heat stored up within it… so when the brown butter looks perfect and you take it off the heat, it will continue to cook and most likely burn. The secret to really great brown butter is patience.

 

Please don’t add the balsamic directly into super hot butter. It will pop and send hot liquid all over the stove. Allow the butter to cool slightly before adding the balsamic.

 

If you let these asparagus sit around before you eat them, they will wilt fairly quickly. Eat them hot and fresh!

Nutrition Information

Yield

4
Amount Per ServingCalories 105
© Scott G
Category: Side Dish

FINAL THOUGHTS ON ROASTING ASPARAGUS IN THE OVEN:

Roasting asparagus is one of my favorite methods for preparing this delicate spring vegetable. If you’re not into brown butter, go ahead an mix some balsamic or lemon juice in with the asparagus and olive oil before it goes into the oven. Asparagus loves the high acids and will come out tasting incredible.

I’m also a huge fan of grilled asparagus. It’s fast and perfectly simple to make.

We served this asparagus alongside some delicious pan seared pork chops. But it would be equally delicious with a porterhouse steak or yummy pork burgers. Some other thoughts would be to roast some cherry tomatoes and add into a frittata with the asparagus and some goat cheese. Or maybe add the roasted asparagus into a Mediterranean salad. They all sound good to me!

However you choose to use this roasted asparagus recipe, I hope that you enjoy it.

Roasting asparagus results in a simple, elegant and delicious side dish.
Simple. Elegant. Delicious.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. You really love food, don’t you? You write about asparagus like most poets about a woman. WOW!! Now, the only thing I can think of is roasted asparagus with perfectly browned butter and I have neither in my fridge and I could cry!

    Reply

    • Hi Lorena:

      I do love food. Sometimes I get frustrated because I can’t find the right words to describe just how good something truly tastes. The funny thing is that your site was recommended to me today as a site that I should be following because of the awesome stories and writing. I took some time and read a bunch of posts toady- I love it! You’ve got a new huge fan.

      Hope that you’re having an awesome day in the kitchen-

      Take care, Scott

      Reply

  2. Hi Scott,
    Saw you on Pinterest and thought I’d pop over for a little inspiration. This is my favorite veggie and I absolutely LOVE what you’ve done with it. Great flavors and I need a bite of that deliciousness right now. Great photos, too! Love the blog – I’ll be following 🙂

    Reply

    • Hey Robyn:
      Thank you for your beautiful thoughts. Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies and my kids love them too.
      Have a great day in the kitchen!
      Scott

      Reply

    • Hi Cara:
      You and I both. I love having roasted asparagus with some steak or pork burgers.
      Thank you for posting.
      Have an awesome day in the kitchen!
      Scott

      Reply

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