Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Garlic Roasted Asparagus

This is a very easy and very delicious side dish.  I never remember liking asparagus or brussels sprouts, or broccoli or any of the vegetables that I love so much now.  My poor mom had an uphill battle every night when she tried to get me to eat my vegetables.  Now, I love to roast all of these tasty vegetables until they are tender inside, but maintain some of their freshness and crunch.  The roasting adds some texture and caramelization to the vegetables and brings out their sweetness.  The asparagus, in particular, really shines when partnered like this with garlic.  I was cooking another dish at 400 degrees, so I tossed this on a baking sheet and added it to the oven along with my main dish.  If your main dish is cooking at 350 or 375, that will work too.  Just leave the vegetables in the oven a bit longer.  Mark and I were fighting over the who got to have seconds of these!
Garlic Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
I bunch asparagus
3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
olive oil

1.  Rinse the asparagus and cut off the tough, bottom half and set the asparagus on a baking tray.  I lined my tray with foil for easier clean-up.
2.  Dice the garlic finely.  Toss garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, a sprinkle of pepper, and 1 Tbs. olive oil with the asparagus on the baking sheet.
3.  Bake a 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender inside, but still maintains a bit of crunch. 
Serve with your favorite main dish and enjoy.

One Year Ago: Chipotle Orange Wings
Two Years Ago: Italian Wedding Soup

1 comment:

  1. FYI, I make the Italian wedding soup every year at least once, sometimes twice. I make a lot and freeze lunch-sized containers. Tiny meatballs are so happy.

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