Panko and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

One of the things I love about spring is asparagus. You know the weather is getting nicer when all the stores and markets are loaded up with this green vegetable.  I tend to either roast or grill asparagus. It is so easy to make but so delicious. A few times, I have been in a restaurant where they had fried asparagus on their appetizer menu.  I think that was the key to getting my husband and daughter to try this vegetable. Since I never fry anything at home, I thought I'd try coating some asparagus with Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to give it that same restaurant effect.  There was no splattering grease and plenty of calories were spared.  In fact, I had a big plateful as my dinner one night. I also think it would be great for lunch topped with a poached egg.

Now don't judge me by how long I cooked the asparagus. My family likes it well done but that is probably not the norm. If you like it  more crunchy, just roast it for a few less minutes. If you are serving this as an appetizer, you could make a nice marinara sauce on the side.  Either way, I think it's really good!

Print Recipe

Panko and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

An easy way to make asparagus.

Servings: 4 to 6

Author: Jersey Girl Cooks (Lisa Grant)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds asparagus cleaned
• 1 TBS olive oil
• ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Coat the asparagus with the olive oil.
• In a small bowl, mix together the Panko, cheese, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Place the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the crumb mixture.
• Cook for 12 to 18 minutes depending how done you would like the asparagus and how thick the asparagus is.

Notes

Thicker stalks of asparagus will take longer to cook. To make the crumbs extra crispy, I like to turn the broiler on the last few minutes of baking.