Sesame Garlic Roasted Asparagus | Ambitious Kitchen

I got thinking about veggies the other day and realized that sometimes the simplest ways to make food tasty are often the most flavorful.

Today, I’m giving you a basic recipe for garlic roasted asparagus in the oven. Yes, it’s easy, but damnnnnn it’s good. This side dish only takes a quick 20 minutes to throw together and is wonderful paired with roasted chicken or my favorite salmon. In fact, if you have a large enough sheet pan, you can make the salmon AND the asparagus at the same time (or just use two baking sheets!).

Ingredients in this garlic roasted asparagus recipe

As you can probably guess, this easy garlic roasted asparagus recipe uses super simple ingredients. Put them together and you get a wonderful, perfectly flavorful side dish! You’ll need:

• Asparagus: that’s what we’re roasting, of course!
• Sesame oil: you can also use olive oil, but the sesame oil really gives it that savory sesame flavor.
• Garlic: gimme all of the garlic in this recipe. Garlic powder will also work!
• Sesame seeds: I love toasted sesame seeds but you can use black as well for a yummy, crunchy texture.
• Salt & pepper: to bring all of the flavors together.

How to cut asparagus

The “stem” of asparagus spears is actually very tough and woody. You’ll want to remove this part before roasting because it’s too tough to eat. You can do so by simply snapping off the base, which is usually about 1 inch long, or carefully it off of each asparagus spear with a sharp knife.

How to roast asparagus

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and cut off the woody ends of your asparagus spears.
2. Place asparagus in large bowl and add sesame oil and minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder); toss to combine. Arrange spears on large baking sheet and generously sprinkle with sesame seeds. Season with a good amount of sea salt and black pepper.
3. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until spears reach desired consistency. You should be able to pierce them with a fork, but they should still be a bit crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to serving plate to serve immediately.

Tips for storing asparagus

The best way to store asparagus is actually to store the spears as though they were a bunch of flowers! Add a few inches of water to a jar that can hold all of the spears, place the asparagus in the jar stem-side down, and store the jar in the fridge. I also recommend covering over the tops of the spears with a bag so that they stay fresh.

What to serve with garlic roasted asparagus

Spicy Maple Glazed Salmon for Two!

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Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese

I know you’re going to love this easy sesame garlic roasted asparagus. Please let me know if you make it by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you and it helps encourage others to make the recipe too! Enjoy xo.