Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus is an easy and quick (yet elegant!) way to prepare asparagus. Asparagus is roasted in the oven, then tossed with a simple vinaigrette made of lemon, herbs, and garlic for a burst of fresh flavor.
This recipe for Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus is one of my favorite ways to prepare asparagus. The tangy, fresh, and bright flavors of the dressing really perk up the slightly bitter and earthy flavors of the roasted asparagus.
Plus, the bright green dressing looks so beautiful on the serving plate! And, it's easy to make, and pretty quick too. You can have this gorgeous side on the table in a little over 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe for Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus:
- Asparagus: you can use thinner asparagus or the thicker stalks, whatever your preference. The ones I used here are sort of in the middle!
- Oil: You will need oil to both roast the asparagus and make the vinaigrette. I used extra virgin olive oil for both, because I like the flavor and pretty much use it whenever I can! However, some people don't like using extra virgin olive oil in higher heat applications. So, just use whatever kind of oil you like to roast, and your favorite kind for making dressings.
- Salt & Black pepper
- Fresh herbs: you can use your favorite type of herb, or a combination of two or more herbs! I discuss herb suggestions in the next section.
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon: you will need the juice and zest. One lemon will do it (and you won't need the entire thing).
- Optional garnishes: I garnished mine with extra fresh herbs and slices of lemon
What type of herbs should I use for the vinaigrette?
As I mentioned in the Ingredients section, you can use your favorite type of herb or even an assortment. I used a combination of chives, dill and mint.
You should stick with soft, leafy types of herbs however, rather than woody types like rosemary and thyme. These can get too strong when eaten raw. Some good herbs to use in addition to chives, dill, and mint include parsley, cilantro, basil, or even scallions!
(A note about the mint: for me, I would probably not make the vinaigrette with 100% mint because it can be kind of overpowering. But, that is a matter of personal taste of course!)
How to prep asparagus
There are two main ways to prepare asparagus (i.e. should I snap the ends off or cut?). I, personally, am a cutter, not a snapper. I'm sure there is much debate over this, but I just find it much faster and easier to cut all the stems at once.
Also, I feel like I can actually save more edible asparagus by cutting. (Have you ever snapped the asparagus stalk and it just seems like you lost half the thing?)
Anyways, here is how I like to do it:
- If there are rubber bands around the bunch, leave the bottom one on.
- Rinse the asparagus. (I do this with the band still on, I haven't had a problem getting the water all around the veggies, you can just stretch it a bit to help the water get in between).
- Then, put the bunch on the cutting board. Look for the spot where the lighter colored stalk transitions into green. This is where I like to cut. If you really don't like any hint of woodiness, you can cut a little bit higher up on the stalk.
- Chop through all the stems at once. And, because you left the band on, just take all the ends to the trash or compost pile in one neat bundle!
Again, this is just my way I like to do it, and I've found that I get to keep a lot of the edible, non-woody asparagus without the annoyance of having to snap each one individually.
That being said, I'm open to other ways! If you have a favorite method of preparing asparagus, let me know in the comments!
How long to roast?
You will need to adjust the roasting time based on how thick your asparagus are and your own personal tastes. I prefer my asparagus when it is just starting to get a little brown, as you can see from the picture above. The asparagus I used for this batch were sort of in-between thick and thin, and they took me about 11 minutes at 450 degrees.
I would suggest keeping an eye on the asparagus during the last few minutes of cooking to make sure it doesn't get overdone. If you have very skinny asparagus, I would start to check at even the 7 - 8 minute mark.
I hope you like this recipe for Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus. If you need some other quick and easy side dishes, please check out my recipes for Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad and Cilantro Garlic and Lime Cauliflower!
If you’ve tried this recipe for Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!
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Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: roast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Roasted asparagus tossed with a quick vinaigrette with fresh lemon, herbs and garlic. An easy and quick side that's way more interesting than regular roasted asparagus!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (see note 1 for oil alternatives)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for sprinkling
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh herbs (see note 2 for herb suggestions)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- optional garnish: additional fresh herbs and lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Trim the woody ends off the asparagus and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the 2 teaspoon oil over the asparagus and toss gently to coat. Spread the asparagus out evenly on the baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast for 10 - 12 minutes until the asparagus are tender and slightly browned on the tips. (If your asparagus are very thin, begin to check on them after they have been cooking for about 7 - 8 minutes to make sure they don't overcook. If your asparagus are very large, they may take a little longer than 12 minutes.)
- While the asparagus are roasting, begin the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, a pinch of black pepper, lemon zest and minced garlic. Add in the fresh chopped herbs, stir to combine. Set aside.
- When the asparagus are finished roasting, remove them from the oven but leave them on the baking sheet. Give the vinaigrette another stir, and then drizzle about ¾ of the vinaigrette over the asparagus. Toss gently with tongs to coat the asparagus with the vinaigrette.
- Remove the asparagus to a serving platter, and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over top. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and lemon slices (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
- I used extra virgin olive oil to both roast the asparagus and for the vinaigrette. If you don't like roasting with extra virgin olive oil, you can use any other neutral oil, like vegetable oil, canola oil, etc. But, I do really recommend extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette if you've got it, because it really enhances the flavor of the dressing. Otherwise, you can use a neutral oil.
- Dill, chives, parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, scallions, cilantro, or a combination of any of these would work well. Although, if using mint, you may want to mix it with another herb because the flavor is rather strong (unless you really like mint!). Avoid woodier herbs like rosemary and thyme because these can also be overpowering.
Keywords: asparagus, roasted asparagus, lemon herb asparagus, lemon herb vinaigrette, easy asparagus recipe, fast asparagus recipe
Eva
I am a snapper! I understand very well what you mean by saying it feels like you're losing much more than you probably should, but this way I *never* get any woody bites. My mom used to not trim asparagus years ago so it was always such a pain eating the delicious tender part and then starting chewing and sucking on the ends, leaving all those munched bits on the plate, and all that fiber getting in between the front teeth. Usch! Snap, all gone. You only get the good stuff 😀
★★★★★
Kate
Haha! It's nice to hear the perspective of a snapper! Yes I can see how an asparagus experience could be ruined by getting down to that stringy bit at the end. It's kind of a trade off I guess, whether you want to maximize the amount of asparagus or make sure there is no chewy bit leftover. Thanks Eva! 🙂
Kv
Delicious
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Kv, so happy you liked the asparagus!