This roasted asparagus with parmesan is baked in the oven with delicious caramelized tomatoes. It's a tasty low-carb recipe that is ready in less than 20 minutes.
It is the perfect side dish or appetizer for main dish recipes like pork tenderloin, roasted turkey or salmon.
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Ingredients
- Asparagus - both regular and baby asparagus are fine. Although thinner/smaller asparagus will roast faster, I recommend using thick asparagus stalks as these will taste more tender.
- Garlic and onion powder - they both give that little extra flavor that is sometimes lacking in roasted veggies.
- Parmesan cheese - most of the hard and aged cheeses are a great choice here. If you want more cheesy asparagus, double up the parmesan or use melty cheeses like mozzarella and cheddar. Parmesan cheese can be substituted with Pecorino, Emmental, or Gruyere cheese.
Store extra asparagus in the fridge, keeping them fresh by trimming the ends and placing them in water or wrapping the ends in a damp towel, similar to a bouquet of flowers.
Cheese Tip: I recommend grating cheese from a block (instead of pre-shredded store-bought cheese) as it will give the best blending and melting results.
Instructions
How To Roast Asparagus
Prep. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim the asparagus. Rinse the asparagus and trim the tips.
I like to place a bunch of spears on a cutting board and slice the woody dry ends off.
You don't have to cut a lot, just most of the thicker tougher white part.
Add seasonings. Place asparagus stalks on a sheet pan (lined with foil or parchment paper) in a single layer.
Drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons (or more as needed) olive oil, season with salt, black pepper, onion, and garlic powder.
Toss to combine with hands or kitchen tongs (or use a plastic zip-top bag for even distribution of seasonings).
Tomatoes (optional add-in): In a medium bowl, toss tomatoes with the remaining olive oil, and salt pepper.
Assemble. Arrange the asparagus on one side and the other side with the tomatoes.
Sprinkle both or just the asparagus with parmesan on top.
How much cheese to add? If I’m not serving other cheesy dish for dinner, I like to be generous and add plenty of cheese to my asparagus. Cheese makes the veggie very yummy and has been approved by my non-green-veg fans.
Cooking time. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
You’ll know when asparagus is done when its color becomes darker green and the cheese is melted.
Tomatoes will start to brown lightly. Once roasted asparagus should be tender inside but still with a little crunch to it.
Ready to serve. Serve the cheesy asparagus immediately garnished with fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, sea salt flakes and balsamic glaze (optional).
How To Buy Asparagus
- Texture - stalks should be firm, hold their shape, and with smooth texture.
- Color - fresh asparagus spears are vibrant green (unless it’s white asparagus), they are fresh if they can stand easily, don’t bend that much, and don’t look wilted. The tip of the stalk may have a purple hue to it.
- Size - go for thicker, medium to large asparagus spears as these tend to be more tender than thin ones.
- During asparagus season, seize the opportunity to enjoy this vegetable at its peak.
Tips
- Leftovers make a very tasty cheesy asparagus pasta.
- You don't necessarily have to use a baking sheet, if the asparagus sears fit in your casserole dish, add them there. There's no need for a lot of free space between the asparagus stalks.
Storing Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Recipe
Cheesy Asparagus with Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
- ½ cup parmesan, grated
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cup cherry or plum tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoon basil leaves, chiffonade
- lemon slices/wedges for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Trim the asparagus. Rinse the asparagus and trim the tips. I like to place a bunch of spears on a cutting board and slice the woody dry ends off. You don't have to cut a lot, just most of the thicker tougher white part.
- Add seasonings. Place asparagus stalks on a sheet pan (lined with foil or parchment paper) or baking dish in a single layer, and drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons (or more as needed) olive oil, season with salt, black pepper, onion, and garlic powder.
- Toss to combine with hands or kitchen tongs (or use a plastic zip-top bag for even distribution of seasonings).
- Tomatoes (optional add-in): In a medium bowl, toss tomatoes with the remaining olive oil, and salt pepper.
- Assemble. Arrange the asparagus on one side and the other side with the tomatoes. Sprinkle both or just the asparagus with parmesan on top.
- Cooking time. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. You’ll know when asparagus is done when its color becomes darker green and the cheese is melted. Tomatoes will start to brown lightly.
- Ready to serve. Serve the cheesy asparagus immediately garnished with fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, sea salt flakes and balsamic glaze (optional!).
VIDEO
NOTES
- JULIA'S TIP: How much cheese to add is up to you. If I’m not serving another cheesy dish for dinner, I like to be generous and add plenty of cheese to my asparagus. Want to go all in? Along with cheese, feel free to add some crunch with panko breadcrumbs (add to taste). Cheese makes the veggie very yummy and has been approved by my non-green-veg fans.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Fresh is always best. I don’t recommend freezing baked asparagus either.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
FAQs
As mentioned in this recipe I use 400 F for most of my vegetables. Bake the asparagus with cheese for 10-15 minutes and you’ll end up with a perfectly roasted, crisp-tender healthy veggie platter.
You’ve probably overcooked it. It’s a relatively small and thin veggie that needs just a little roasting time. Also, every oven temperature differs, and it may have been too hot for your asparagus.
In my opinion, just a bit crunchy outside and tender inside. If it’s too soft no one will eat it in my family.
Thick asparagus is better because it is tender. The thin spears may often be tough to chew on.
Also, don’t go for very large asparagus as these will have tougher outer skin which will require more prep on your side, because these need to be peeled off first.
Julia
Easy and healthy side dish recipe!
saif
What a healthy vegetable dish. I like to add feta cheese on it which will make it more delicious.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
oh delicious! thank you!
Bryan
Feta cheese and Parmesan or just feta?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Parmesan
Terry
What is the balsamic glaze? Homemade? Recipe please. Or just use a balsamic dressing?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
balsamic glaze, either store bough or homemade this: https://theyummybowl.com/balsamic-glaze/ (little outdated photos, but recipe works great and c fan be stored or a long time too. Thanks Terry!
Jacqueline Meldrum
Mmmmm, that looks so good, so colourful.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This looks so beautiful and perfect for spring. Love the colours.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much!
Berni
This looks so delicious and beautiful! Glad I am going to the farm just over the border in PA. today. They're open year round. Asparagus on sale so guess what I will be having for dinner?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you, hope you liked it!
Kristina
Cheesy asparagus is so delicious- I make it often but have never added tomatoes, and it was even better!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much!
Aimee Mars
I just brought home a huge bunch of asparagus and was wondering what I was going to do with it. This is the perfect recipe and with the cheese on top I know I won't have to beg my kids to eat it.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
absolutely! what a great way to sneak in some veggies for the kids!
Kushigalu
Love how colorful and delicious this recipe is. Thanks for sharing
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Hope you enjoy!
Kirsten
Incredibly cheesy asparagus baked in oven to perfection! We are in love with yummy asparagus now!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you so much!
Tayler
I'm always looking for new side dishes to add to the rotation, and this asparagus looks perfect! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Glad you liked it!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This was so delicious and the colours are amazing. Will definitely be serving this at my next dinner party.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you!
Savita
It is such an easy recipe, loved the flavors of it. Definitely going to make it again.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
glad you liked it!thank you
Art
This asparagus makes the perfect side dish! I love the cheese and tomatoes addition. It's so delicious! I look forward to making it again soon.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you!
Pat
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious My whole family loved it even the grand children and that is saying a lot. Thank you so much for the great. recipe.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much!