Roasted Baby Asparagus

A platter of roasted baby asparagus with citrus.

In the early spring, the markets showcase tender, thin stalks of baby asparagus. Try these sheet pan roasted asparagus with a tangy citrus dressing for a completely new way to serve them. Additional bits of fresh orange, toasted pecan, and feta cheese take this oven-roasted asparagus to new heights. Delicious with pork, chicken and fish.

trimming and cutting baby asparagus and vegetables.

Choosing Baby Asparagus

My inspiration for this pan roasted asparagus started at the farmers market. They had some beautiful baby asparagus displayed within arms reach of an avalanche of shallots and oranges. Here are some tell tale signs that the asparagus is fresh:

  • The thinner the asparagus, the younger it is — thicker asparagus isn’t a bad thing, and can be just as delicious. If you can’t find those thinner stalks, this dish will be good with thicker ones as well.
  • Look for bright green or purplish tinged spears with firm stems.
  • Look for tightly closed, compact tips.
  • When the bunch is squeezed, it should actually squeak.

Ingredients:

  • Baby Asparagus – look for thin stalks and bright green tips.
  • Orange – use any type of oranges, and cut into supremes (that means, no peel, pith or membrane) for easier eating.
  • Pecans – to add a little crunch to this spring side dish.
  • Shallots – a cross between garlic and onions, these alliums lose their sting when cooked.
  • Feta Cheese – you can also use goat cheese.

pan roasting asparagus, shallots and pecans.

Asparagus is one of those versatile veggies — it’s great blanched or steamed with a light hollandaise or garlicky aioli.  Scott likes asparagus on the Weber and prides himself on getting those telltale grill marks on the spears without letting the baby asparagus spears slip through the grates, however, I thought I’d save him the trouble and oven roast them instead. To me, roasting intensifies the flavor and is the ultimate in ease and convenience.  We could all use a little more of that in  our lives, right?

Trimming and Roasting Baby Asparagus

  1. Trim the tougher ends from the asparagus. To do this, hold an asparagus spear at about the halfway point and grab the end, bend it until it naturally breaks.  You can use this as a guide and trim the rest of the asparagus in one or two swipes with a sharp knife, or continue trimming each one individually.
  2. Place the baby asparagus on the sheet pan along with the pecans and shallots.
  3. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and toss with your hands to coat.
  4. Roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes, then flip the asparagus shallots and pecans with a spatula. Continue roasting for an additional 5 minutes. You want the asparagus to be tender crisp. Test one and if it needs a minute or two longer, continue roasting.
segmenting oranges and making citrus dressing

Newsletter Signup
Join our community of food lovers!

Get my latest recipes, helpful kitchen tips and more good things each week in your inbox.

Fresh citrus always brightens up a recipe and look at how juicy and sweet these oranges are!!!   Also, check out that cool knife, too!  Its a bird’s beak paring knife and was one of my Christmas presents from Scott.   It’s made specifically for cutting away the rind on citrus and it works for supreming them as well (though it takes a little practice). 

Ingredients For The Citrus Dressing

  • Orange Zest
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Red or White Wine Vinegar
  • Honey
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

To Make The Citrus Dressing

  • Zest the orange and add it to a small prep bowl. (After you’ve zested the orange, you can cut away the rind and supreme it into segments. 
  • Add the dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Whisk until the dressing emulsifies. 
  • Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
Plating Roasted baby asparagus with citrus dressing on a platter.

To Assemble the Dish

  1. Arrange the baby asparagus on the platter and top with the toasted nuts, roasted shallots, diced orange and crumbled feta cheese. 
  2. Drizzle some of the citrus dressing over the top of the vegetables and serve.

Pan roasted baby asparagus can be served warm or at room temperature and would make an excellent side dish for a weekend brunch or cookout. There’s so many complimentary flavors and textures here, you’ll never get bored.

Serving asparagus side dish.

More asparagus recipes:

Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.

Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.

We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!

Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Oranges and Pecans

If you love fresh asparagus, this might be your new favorite dish with fresh citrus and a sprinkle of creamy cheese. It’s easy and delicious.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword asparagus
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

INGREDIENTS:

For Asparagus

  • 1 pound asparagus spears
  • 1 orange zested and supremed — see note below
  • ¼ cup pecans chopped
  • 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

For Vinaigrette

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey preferably orange blossom
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

For The Asparagus

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Trim ends of asparagus at their natural breaking point. Bend a stalk of asparagus until it breaks. Use the trimmed stalk as a guide to cut the rest of the asparagus in the same general place. Discard tough ends.
  • Place the asparagus on a baking sheet. Add the shallots and pecans.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat.  Arrange in a single layer on the pan and roast for 10 minutes.  Flip with a spatula and roast for an additional 5 minutes or until the asparagus is tender, but still bright green.

For The Vinaigrette

  • Combine the orange zest, dijon mustard, vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until emulsified. Set aside.

Assemble The Dish:

  • Arrange the asparagus spears on a platter. Top with pecan-shallot mixture. Sprinkle with the oranges and cheese.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the top of the asparagus and serve.  This can be served warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:

To supreme citrus, use a sharp knife to cut the top and bottom of the fruit so that the pulpy flesh is exposed. Stand the fruit on one end and starting at the top cut the rind from the fruit to expose the flesh, following the natural contour of the citrus. Continue until all the white pith has been removed. Segment the fruit by slicing just inside the membrane on both sides of a segment and remove the fruit. Continue until the fruit is completely segmented. There’s still juice in what remains of that orange, so squeeze it into the dressing for a little extra hit of citrus flavor.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 970IU | Vitamin C: 24.9mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Pin “Oven Roasted Asparagus with Oranges and Pecans” For Later!

Need a new way to prepare baby asparagus? This easy pan roasted asparagus with pecans, feta and orange and tangy citrus dressing is an easy, healthy recipe. #roastedvegetables #asparagusrecipes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments

  1. I’ve never thought to pair asparagus with orange before, but it sounds so lovely. I usually use lemon, so of course other citrus is a great choice – it just never crossed my mind!

    1. It’s not obvious, but the sweet bites of orange work well with the roasted asparagus!

  2. Luci's Morsels says:

    5 stars
    This looks amazing! I love the flavors you’ve used and I cannot wait to try this. Thank you for sharing! This will be the perfect side for so many dishes I have in mind. Yummy!

    1. I’m always looking for a different pairing, aren’t you?

  3. You have quite the flavor and texture smorgasboard on here! So so loving the combo of asparagus with pecans and oranges and feta! Perfect for a late summer evening!

    1. Thanks, Shashi! I agree – it’s a yummy dish for a summer dinner!

  4. anna@icyvioletskitchen says:

    gorgeous dish! the only down side is that my brain keeps interpreting the orange slices in the first photo as some kind of fatty meat, and now my brain wants that too. hmmm..

    1. I advocate for fatty meats – might I suggest pancetta or bacon???