How To Roast Asparagus In Your Toaster Oven

Roasting asparagus in a toaster oven is simple and quick. High in folic acid and packing a good amount of fiber asparagus is a top-notch veggie that always tastes great, especially when roasted!

 

I love asparagus in all it’s forms but chopped up and roasted is probably my favorite. It’s bright, flavorful and reminds me of Spring.

Plus the smaller bite-size pieces make it easy to add to a bowl of pasta, corn and quinoa salad or even veggie nachos.

If you’re craving whole asparagus spears don’t worry you can still use your toaster oven. Check out this toaster oven roasted asparagus spears recipe for directions.

An important part of roasting any kind of vegetable is to give it space.

When vegetables are piled on top of another, the layer on the bottom will be steamed (not roasted) by the moisture released from the veggies above.

Roasting in a toaster oven presents the obvious challenge of limited space but we’ve got a few tips that will help with that.

3 Tips for Roasting Asparagus in a Toaster Oven:

• Start with a smaller amount of vegetables.  This recipe uses just under a pound of asparagus, about 13 ounces.
• Use the largest pan that will fit in your toaster oven.
• Stir the asparagus a few extra times while it cooks, keeping the asparagus moving decreases the chance of steaming.

~ Keep scrolling there’s step by step photo directions after the recipe ~

How to roast asparagus in your toaster oven

Start by adjusting the toaster oven cooking rack to the lowest position and preheating to 425°F on the “Bake” setting. Then, lightly oil your roasting pan.

Next, you’ll want to remove the “woody” ends from the asparagus. These areas are unpleasant and tough to chew.

The easiest way to find where to chop is to pull back the end of one spear until it snaps. Then line that spear up with the whole bunch and slice all of the ends off in the same spot.

Once the ends have been removed, chop the asparagus into thirds.

Because the tips are thinner they tend to cook quicker than the bottom portions. To help even out the cooking times I leave the tip portion a little longer than the lower stalk pieces.

Place the chopped pieces on the prepared pan. Then, drizzle the oil over the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat.

Like these Roasted Carrots with Lime, Garlic and Ginger, I find a rich olive oil is nice in the Winter and lighter coconut oil is perfect for the warmer weather that Spring and Summer bring.

For lemony asparagus, zest a medium lemon and set the zest aside. Cut the lemon into 1/4-inch slices and arrange on top of the asparagus before roasting.

Roast the asparagus, stirring every 5 minutes until the tips are gently browned and the stalks are tender yet still a bit firm, about 12 to 14 minutes.

For an added pop of bright flavor, sprinkle asparagus with the reserved lemon zest prior to serving.