Last updated on March 24, 2022. Originally posted on March 25, 2020 By Maryea / 5 Comments

Baked Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

aThis Baked Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan is a perfect, easy and healthy side dish that goes well with everything! It is ready, from start to finish, in less than 15 minutes! Juts 4 main ingredients needed!

Whenever asparagus comes into season and the price is slashed way down, we eat it a couple times a week. You can’t go wrong with an inexpensive vegetable that’s super easy to prepare and tastes amazing! Am I right?

Unfortunately the kids don’t feel the same way as my husband Tim and I do about asparagus. The good news it THEY EAT IT ANYWAY. I’ve taught them that every food I serve them doesn’t have to be their favorite, but they can still eat it.

I don’t force them to eat foods they absolutely can’t stand (like mushrooms 😭), but if it’s just something they feel “meh” about, they can eat it.

By the end of asparagus season (generally speaking, March-June) they are ready to move on, and I do prepare it less the rest of the year. Eating foods when they are in season is smart both financially, nutritionally, and it’s you get the best flavor when foods are in season.

Grilling asparagus works well, but roasting it in the oven is my favorite way to prepare it. Baked asparagus allows it to soak up flavor of the fat and lemon its cooked with as well as be topped with parmesan cheese. The flavor is outstanding.

Why This Recipe Works

As mentioned above, this baked asparagus is cooked with avocado oil (or your oil of choice), fresh lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. After cooking, we add lemon zest. All of these flavors work together perfectly.

The key to roasted asparagus is to not overcook it. 8-10 minutes in a 400 degree oven is all you need. This allows the asparagus to cook enough to be tender, but not a soggy, mushy mess. There’s nothing worse than overcooked asparagus.

Recipe Ingredients-What you need

1 bunch asparagus
2 tablespoons avocado oil or oil of choice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
lemon zest

How to Trim Asparagus

The only prep for this recipe is to trim the asparagus. The ends of asparagus are tough and woody, so you’ll need to remove them. You can cut them off with a knife or they also snap off when you hold and bend it.

You don’t want to snap off too much of the end as you’ll be wasting some good parts, so be careful or you’ll snap it in half!

This is a perfect time to get your kids involved in dinner prep! Meghan is 11, but a child as young as 3 or 4 could do this!

Baked Asparagus-How To

Preheat the oven-You want to put your asparagus in a hot oven, so make sure it’s fully preheated to 400 degrees before you start the roasting time.
Rinse and dry your asparagus-Clean your asparagus with water and dry it well.
Trim your asparagus-Remove the tough, woody ends and discard them.
Add oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper-Drizzle these ingredients to the top of your asparagus.
Toss to coat the asparagus evenly-We want all of the asparagus to be well-coated with the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Add parmesan cheese-Evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese to the top of the asparagus.
Bake in the oven-Now we roast the asparagus in the oven for 8-10 minutes, just until the cheese is starting to brown.
Add lemon zest-Use a zester to add lemon zest to the top of your asparagus. This gives an extra pop of bright flavor!

Enjoy this incredibly easy and delicious baked asparagus recipe! If you need some ideas of what to serve with it, I suggest this Italian Baked Chicken Breast recipe or this Beet Burger for a vegetarian dinner.

I have recently discovered how great cooking with the air fryer can be. Try my Air Fryer Asparagus, too!

If you make this baked asparagus recipe, please leave a star rating below! It’s so helpful for other readers to see when a recipe is tried and true! I’d also love to stay in touch-let’s connect on Instagram or Facebook.