Easy 3-Ingredient Roasted Sesame Asparagus

This simple 3-ingredient roasted sesame asparagus recipe is a quick and easy weeknight side dish, yet still impressive enough to serve at a more upscale gathering!

I have to say, this easy roasted sesame asparagus recipe is hands down my favorite way to cook asparagus! The thing about asparagus, though, is that when it’s not in season, it can get quite pricey. My kids adore it though (really!), so it’s worth a splurge now and then…

But come springtime when asparagus is plentiful and inexpensive, we indulge weekly. The simplicity and flavor make this simple side dish perfect for weeknights, but it’s also right at home on any holiday or party menu.

But I Didn’t Always Like Asparagus…

Just like tomato soup, asparagus was one of those foods that I despised as a child. So I’m sure you can imagine my reaction as an 8-year-old when my grandmother bought our family a CASE of canned asparagus from Sam’s Club for Christmas… Truly, I’m not joking. What kid wants asparagus for Christmas?!

God love her — she felt like we weren’t getting our recommended daily vitamins and minerals, so she did what any concerned grandmother would do… Okay, maybe not every grandma, but I know she had good intentions. Seriously, though, it was all I could do to choke down those slimy green spears without gagging. I may have even resorted to excusing myself from the table to “use the bathroom”, i.e., spit them into the toilet.

3-Ingredient Roasted Sesame Asparagus Recipe

Thankfully I gave asparagus another go as I got older, and I found that fresh roasted asparagus is absolutely delightful! And not only is it tasty, but it’s super easy to prepare — especially this amazing 3-ingredient asparagus recipe.

When you’re ready to cook your asparagus, rinse it well and pat each spear dry. For thicker asparagus stalks, you’ll want to trim off the fibrous ends.

The easiest way to figure out where you should trim is to pick up a thicker spear and bend it until it breaks. It will naturally break where the stalk gets more tender, and then you can use that stalk as a guideline for trimming the other spears in the bunch.

Lay the spears out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle them with about two tablespoons of olive oil, and then sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Roast for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then give the sheet a good shake and sprinkle about a teaspoon of sesame seeds over the spears. Roast for another five minutes.

It really doesn’t get much simpler than that! This roasted asparagus recipe pairs perfectly with chicken, pork, steak, and so on. Oh, and it’s pretty darn good cold too — if there are any leftovers after dinner, we end up nibbling on them for the rest of the evening.

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Simple Roasted Sesame Asparagus

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Lay washed and trimmed asparagus spears out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Drizzle with approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
3. Roast at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes.
4. Shake the baking sheet to turn the asparagus and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Roast for an additional 5 minutes until tender.

Have you tried this recipe?

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