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Looking for an easy and delicious way to dress up asparagus? Try my recipe for oven-roasted asparagus with citrus, thyme, and pistachio.
Get your daily dose of vegetables with oven-roasted asparagus
A lot of our meals as of late are made with shelf-stable ingredients. While we’ve been enjoying these hearty meals like BBQ chicken sandwiches and cashew mac and cheese, it’s really easy to let vegetables slip by the wayside.
I’ve found that introducing a fresh vegetable as a side instead of something starchy like potatoes can really make a difference in how I feel after a meal. I’m a sucker for fresh vegetables and so it only seemed appropriate to choose one that’s in season: asparagus.
I’ve been a fan of asparagus for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my mom always steamed them which isn’t my favorite method now that I am not a child and know how to feed myself. If you’re looking for a couple of quick ways to prepare asparagus you can try the following ideas:
- Coat asparagus in a little oil and air fry them
- Coat asparagus in a little oil and saute them
- Oven roast your asparagus with a little bit of oil
This recipe explains how to make oven-roasted asparagus. Of course, you can just toss some olive oil, bake for a bit and dress the spears with salt and pepper, but if you’re looking for a unique approach, I recommend making oven-roasted asparagus with citrus, thyme, and pistachio.
What in ingredients are in oven-roasted asparagus?
The ingredients of this recipe are all in the title: asparagus, orange, fresh thyme, and pistachio. You’ll also need 3 more ingredients that aren’t mentioned: olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Seems easy enough, right?
The star of this beautiful side is obviously the oven-roasted asparagus. Asparagus has all sorts of nutrients and good stuff like fiber, folate, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. I would argue that during this time where we’re all stressed and hanging out at home that we could use a little more fiber in our lives, don’t you think?
How do you make oven-roasted asparagus?
Thankfully, the hardest part of this recipe is arranging the orange slices and asparagus spears across your pan for roasting. The rest is gravy. The first thing you’ll need to do to make oven-roasted asparagus is roasting your pistachios. Place the pistachios on a baking sheet and roast them until golden brown – about 8 minutes. You’ll need to agitate them about half-way through roasting to ensure they don’t burn on the bottom. After you pull the pistachios out, crank the oven to 425.
While your pistachios are roasting, you can prep the asparagus and orange for oven roasting. To do this, all you need to do is trim the ends of your asparagus spears. The bottom part of asparagus is kind of tough and texturally strange so I wouldn’t recommend eating it.
Next, you need to zest your orange. You’ll sprinkle the zest on top of the asparagus after they finish roasting along with the pistachios and thyme. It’s always easier to zest a whole orange so remember to do this first before you start slicing your orange into wheels. Once you’ve made about a tablespoon of zest, set aside and then take the orange and cut some thin wheels about 1/8th inch thick and then cut them in half so they resemble half circles. I used about half of the orange for the entire sheet and ate the other half while they were roasting because I was very hungry.
Once you have your asparagus trimmed, and orange wedges, toss the asparagus in some olive oil and lay across the pan. Carefully coat the orange wedges with a little bit of olive oil as well. I like to do these separately from the asparagus because I don’t trust myself. I’m kind of clumsy and would probably break them if I tossed with the asparagus.
Next, is the assembly. Lay your asparagus across the parchment paper and tuck the orange slices in and out across the sheet. Play with the angles and make it look artsy. You’ll get the hang of it after you do one or two. Oven-roast the asparagus and citrus for about 25 minutes.
While your asparagus and citrus roasts in the oven, you’ll need to prepare the topping. Chop the pistachios into small pieces and then add a tablespoon of olive oil, the orange zest, and a tablespoon of fresh thyme. Stir to combine and set aside.
Since you can’t really flip the asparagus without messing up your beautiful handiwork, you’ll need to broil the top for about 8 minutes at 500 degrees until the citrus starts to brown. Watch your asparagus though, broiling can cause it to char so you’ll need to keep an eye on the scene while you broil.
Lastly, remove the oven-roasted asparagus and citrus and top with the nut, zest, and spice mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and serve immediately.
Recipe Jam
In this segment, I suggest a song for you to listen to while you make oven-roasted asparagus! You can even stream it right here in your browser. Today’s Recipe Jam is Cities by Public Practice.
If you try this recipe, I want to hear about it! Feel free to post your creations to Instagram or Facebook and tag Hell Yes It’s Vegan or #hellyesitsvegan. I look forward to seeing your creations!
Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Citrus, Thyme, & Pistachio
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- zester
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 orange
- 2 lbs asparagus
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast pistachios for 7-8 minutes until browned, agitating half-way through to ensure the pieces don't burn.
- Meanwhile, zest the orange and set aside 1 Tbsp of the zest. Slice the orange into 1/8 inch wheels and cut in half so the slices resemble half-circles. You'll only need about half of the orange. Trim the ends of the asparagus.
- Use 1 Tbsp olive oil to coat the asparagus and orange. Lay the asparagus spears facing the same direction across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and tuck the oranges throughout.
- Increase oven temperature to 425. While the oven heats, coarsely chop the pistachios and add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, zest and fresh thyme. Set aside.
- Roast the asparagus and orange slices for 20 minutes, then broil at 500 for an additional 7-8 minutes or until the citrus starts to brown. Remove the oven-roasted asparagus and citrus, coat with nut mixture, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.
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