Lemon Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan

These Lemon Garlic Parmesan Asparagus are a quick and easy side dish that's ready in under 20 minutes!

Perfect with grilled meat, seafood, or a ball of burrata and toast! No matter what you serve it with, I know you will love this recipe !

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

I come from a long line of asparagus lovers! Seriously, I can eat a whole bunch of asparagus all at once. And if I receive my family, I often roast 3… 4… even 5 bouquets for dinner! And even when I do a lot of it , I can always count on my brothers fighting over the last last stems!

My secret to getting people to fight for vegetables? Make them SUPER tasty! And for asparagus, that means buying super fresh asparagus and roasting it JUST until tender! And then finish with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and lots of parmesan !

So simple, yet it's the perfect recipe!

How to Roast Asparagus

The first step is to preheat your oven! You will set it to 425 degrees. And you'll want to do this at least 20 minutes before you plan to pop your baking sheet in the oven. You want your oven fully preheated, so it's piping hot!
To save on dirty dishes, place your asparagus directly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper! Then drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and lemon zest, then toss to coat! If you don't like spice, omit the crushed red pepper flakes! Once you've tossed in the asparagus, you're ready to cook!
Do not overcook! Seriously, because we cook at such a high temperature, the asparagus only need about 9 minutes in the oven. Give or take a minute or two depending on how thick/thin your asparagus stalks are.
Overcooked asparagus will be soft and mushy, which is really a sin! I suggest testing the taste for about 8 minutes, then cooking a few more minutes only if needed.
While you cook the asparagus in the oven, cut a lemon in half and finely grate some parmesan. As soon as you take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle the asparagus with lemon juice then sprinkle with parmesan.
Serve hot, with a little parmesan and lemon on the side! I also like to serve toast, to mop up the excess lemon/oil/parmesan that collects at the bottom of the serving dish! Trust me on this!

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely you can! You can actually double or even triple this recipe! Just multiply the ingredients according to your needs !

Just make sure you have a large enough plate to lay the asparagus in an even layer. Or roast on multiple pans! Because if you have the asparagus stalks stacked on top of each other, they won't roast evenly. And if you pack them too tightly together, they could get soggy during roasting.

Can I do it in advance?

Although asparagus technically “keeps” in the refrigerator for 3 days, it is best served straight from the oven.

This is because when the asparagus sits, it softens a bit. And of course, it's cold. Which means you will have to warm it up. And when asparagus is reheated, it's often because it's soggy.

So if you can, I highly recommend preparing this dish just before serving! Especially since it only takes about 20 minutes in total. Your taste buds will thank you!

How about using frozen asparagus?

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it! I have never had a successful experience roasting frozen asparagus. Same for canned goods.

Fresh asparagus is definitely the way to go! So keep this recipe in mind when you can easily find fresh asparagus at the grocery store. Or better yet, from the marker market!

So get ready for this to be your most requested asparagus recipe! Seriously, nothing beats roasted lemon parmesan asparagus! So jump to the recipe and let me know what you think after trying it!