Favorite Baked Asparagus Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place asparagus in a large plastic bag. Drizzle half the olive oil over the asparagus, seal the bag and shake until asparagus is coated evenly with the olive oil. If necessary, add only enough of the remaining olive oil to coat the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender or crunchy depending upon your preference, about 12 to 20 minutes.
• Tips: (Shortcut chef) Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper as directed below and store in refrigerator until you're ready to bake it off. Get into the habit of spending 5 to 15 minutes prepping tonight or tomorrow's dinner during the day and you will be eating in more than out. The weight will come off quicker with home cooked healthful meals and you know it.
• Tip: From mom's lips to your ears: You forgot to tell them to snap off the woody bottoms. Tell em to hold asparagus, one at a time, in their hands near the cut end and snap it like kindling. Mother Nature saw to it that the asparagus breaks in just the right spot, save the ends for stock.
• Morph: Serve one other simple veggie side and a piece of oven baked fish such as salmon and dinner is all done. Cook off extra asparagus and throw it into a frittata, polenta, or pasta later in the week.
• If the Queen's coming for dinner, toss cooked asparagus with fresh lemon, plate and garnish with thin curls of Parmesan.
• Tip: Asparagus starts losing its sweetness the minute it's cut, therefore, as always, look for the freshest stalks possible. Skins should be smooth and bright colored with tightly formed heads.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender, 18-20 minutes.
• Transfer asparagus to a platter. To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan over the spears.

Steps:

• Clean asparagus; put in saucepan with 1 cup water.
• Simmer 8 minutes.
• Lay in buttered baking dish.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake at 200 degrees 7 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange asparagus in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; add cream, salt and pepper. Top with mozzarella, cashews and Parmesan cheese. Bake until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Transfer dish to wire cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Break off ends of asparagus stalks.
• Put in baking pan or dish.
• Drizzle olive oil over asparagus (amount to liking).
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spritz it with fresh lemon juice.
• Finally, sprinkle sesame seeds on top of asparagus.
• Bake at 375 degrees for (about 12 minutes-depending on thickness of stalk) or until fork tender.
• Serve with lemon wedges.