These Parmesan Crusted Baked Asparagus brings a nice flavorful twist to an already yummy vegetable. They’re tender, cheesy, garlicky wholesome side dish that is a great accompaniment to any meal. Got any leftover? Serve it as a healthy snack or as add-ons to your salad and stir-fry. Now that’s hard to beat!
I admit it, I was a bit skeptical when I bought this coz my son isn’t a big fan of asparagus. Surprisingly, I was wrong! He grabbed one first, then another one and on and on. It seemed like he was snacking on this oven roasted asparagus and I couldn’t be happier.
Adding some shredded cheese and panko breadcrumbs sure made this already yummy vegetable on the next level! As with any recipe, feel free to come up with ways to make it appealing for everyone in the house. But for now, you can stick to this one and enjoy a healthy and delicious side dish on your next meal.
Asparagus Benefits
These green slender pears are often one of those first signs of spring. From salads to frittatas, asparagus is a great addition to any dishes as they’re also packed with nutrients. It’s fat-free, sodium-free and packed with many key nutrients like folate, vitamins A, C and K, and potassium. And if you haven’t heard, this vegetable is often linked to combating cancer due to its antioxidant content.
Ways to Cook Asparagus
For those who are curious, yes you can eat asparagus raw. But cooking it helps soften the outer skin of this vegetable. That’s why it’s best if you consider cooking them rather than eating them raw. Below are just some of the ways to cook these asparagus.
- Boil them in a pot of salted water for 1-3 minutes or until bright and tender.
- Steam asparagus on high heat for about 2-4 minutes.
- Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces and saute over high heat for about 3-5 minutes and season with salt and pepper or with your favorite seasoning.
- Pan-roast them over medium-high heat with olive oil or butter and cook until bright green and crisp for about 3 minutes
How Long To Bake Asparagus?
But one of our favorite ways to cook asparagus is by baking it in the oven. It requires minimal prep time and comes ready in no time. Just remove the woody end, give it a quick rinse and season using your desired flavors. Then off it goes inside the preheated oven for 10 minutes and another 2-3 minutes for broiling, if you want that nice touch of crisp for your breadcrumbs.
Tasty, healthy side dish that is all done in less than 15 minutes! Make sure to keep an eye on them the whole time as they cook pretty quickly.
What to Serve with Parmesan Baked Asparagus?
There are a ton of ways to serve these baked asparagus. I could make a long list, but these are some of the few favorites.
More Easy Veggie Side Dishes
- Sauteed Spinach
- Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
How To Bake Asparagus
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly coat baking sheet with nonstick spray or oil. In a large mixing bowl, salt and pepper asparagus. Drizzle with oil.
In a medium bowl mix together parmesan cheese, melted butter, garlic, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and lemon juice.
Transfer asparagus to a baking sheet.
Topped with breadcrumbs mixture. Bake about 10 minutes until asparagus are tender. Broil asparagus for 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Keep an eye on them the whole time. Sprinkle with parsley. And top with extra parmesan, if desired. Serve warm with herb crusted pork roast and honey glazed carrots to complete your meal.
Parmesan Crusted Baked Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. medium thick asparagus, washed, dried and wood ends removed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2–3 tablespoons melted butter (sub with olive oil)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley (optional) , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly coat baking sheet with nonstick spray or oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, salt and pepper asparagus. Drizzle with oil.
- In a medium bowl mix together parmesan cheese, melted butter, garlic, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and lemon juice.
- Transfer asparagus to baking sheet, topped with breadcrumbs mixture.
- Bake about 10 minutes until asparagus are tender. Broil asparagus for 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Keep an eye on them the whole time. Sprinkle with parsley. And top with extra parmesan, if desired.
- Serve warm with herb crusted pork roast and honey glazed carrots to complete your meal
Tips & Notes:
- If you wanted to substitute the asparagus for another vegetable, only the cooking time will vary. The larger the vegetable, the longer the cooking time.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Brenda Costanza says
This was so good I had it with lemon chicken and rainbow cauliflower rice I poured the lemon sauce over the asparagus yummy
Imma says
That sounds absolutely divine!! 🙂
Steve Hatch says
This was so delicious. Quick and easy. And a great way to test my smoke detector (maybe I’ll open the windows before opening the post-broil oven next time). I love all your recipes as I love tropical food. My partner, who is stuck in the States at the moment, is Cameroonian, and I’ve developed a healthy taste for food of the Northwest.
Immaculate Bites says
Yay! I’m happy you’re loving my recipes 🙂 I hope you can try more and feel free to share how it turns out.
Thank you, Steve!