Roasted asparagus gets dressed up with a wonderful salty and tangy miso lime dressing. Easy to make and always popular!
One of the things I remember most vividly about Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was the elation the family felt when the first spears of asparagus pushed through the soil at the start of spring. Kingsolver and her family dedicated themselves to sustaining themselves for a year only on foods they grew or raised (or ones found within a short distance from their home). If that was me, I would have been doing an embarrassingly enthusiastic happy dance if I discovered my black thumb hadn’t led us straight down the path to starvation. And then I’d pull out every asparagus recipe in my arsenal and have a big ol’ green spear feast.
Besides refining their horticultural skills, the Kingsolver family learned several other important lessons, ones that stuck with me months after I finished reading the book. First of all, never ever name the animals that you are going to slaughter and eat. It’s much harder to roast up Clucker for Sunday dinner if you began bonding upon hatching. Check, got that one.
Second, if you are going to dedicate yourself to eating only foods you have grown or raised yourself or by neighborly farmers for a year, prepare yourself for the fact that your smoothies will be sadly banana-less. Well, unless you live somewhere very tropical, that is.
This book is truly well worth reading. While packing the book with plenty of facts about the benefits of eating locally produced food and researching how the animals are treated, Kingsolver tells her family’s story with plenty of wit and without preaching. While I know that it’s highly unlikely my family and I will ever live solely from foods we grow and raise, it does encourage us to expand our vegetable and herb garden a little bit each year. Tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, spaghetti squash, eggplant, peppers and about half a dozen herbs. We haven’t attempted asparagus yet, but our love of the springtime vegetable may inspire us to change that next year.
The recipe:
The dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, water, miso and pepper until smooth.
While whisking slowly pour in the olive oil until the dressing is combined.
The asparagus:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the tough ends from the asparagus and place the asparagus on a baking sheet.
Toss the asparagus with olive oil and pepper until coated.
Lay the asparagus on the baking sheet, in a single layer.
Roasted the asparagus until it is just tender, 12 to 18 minutes (depending on the thickness of the asparagus).
Serve the asparagus warm or room temperature, with some of the miso dressing drizzled over top (use as much as you like, to your taste).
More asparagus recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Asparagus Frittata with Smoked Paprika, Thyme & Feta Cheese
Cookin’ Canuck’s Asparagus with Hazelnuts & Dried Cherries
Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Vegan Asparagus Salad with Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm & Chives
Pham Fatale’s Asparagus Chicken Stir-Fry
Crumb’s Asparagus Ricotta Tart
Roasted Asparagus with Miso Lime Dressing
Ingredients
The Dressing:
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
The Asparagus:
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
The Dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, water, miso and pepper until smooth.
- While whisking slowly pour in the olive oil until the dressing is combined.
The Asparagus:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Trim the tough ends from the asparagus and place the asparagus on a baking sheet.
- Toss the asparagus with olive oil and pepper until coated.
- Lay the asparagus on the baking sheet, in a single layer.
- Roasted the asparagus until it is just tender, 12 to 18 minutes (depending on the thickness of the asparagus).
- Serve the asparagus warm or room temperature, with some of the miso dressing drizzled over top (use as much as you like, to your taste).
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Apr 13, 2012 at 5:30 amThat dressing sounds simply lovely! Yum!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says
Apr 13, 2012 at 5:56 amThat asparagus looks like it’s only a few hours old. I love this recipe!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Apr 13, 2012 at 6:25 amThis looks absolutely phenomenal! Asparagus is a favorite at my house 🙂
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables says
Apr 13, 2012 at 7:20 amI’ve never read that Kingsolver book but I LOVED the poisonwood bible so I’ll have to give it a try!
Maria says
Apr 13, 2012 at 7:20 amI love the dressing! Perfect for spring! Now we just need the snow to stop falling:)
Jenny Flake says
Apr 13, 2012 at 7:23 amWhat perfect looking asparagus! One of my favorite veggies to enjoy! Great recipe! xoox
bridget {bake at 350} says
Apr 13, 2012 at 7:36 amHaha…never name the animal you are going to eat. Good advice!
I love roasted asparagus…and the dressing sounds perfect!
Shirley @ gfe says
Apr 13, 2012 at 9:17 amI have to agree on the excitement of having fresh asparagus poke up and finally be ready to eat. We actually have some on our mountain property where we camp and we’re delighted when the timing works out that we’re there for it and can enjoy it! I roasted asparagus this morning before work. Just with olive oil, salt, and pepper–yum. Yours looks delicious, Dara! 🙂
Shirley
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Apr 13, 2012 at 9:17 amIt’s funny how today, every recipe for asparagus sounds so amazing…considering that until I was in my 30’s I absolutely hated it. Blame cans of bland, limp veggies served to us as kids but now I guess I’m trying to make up for lost time. Roasted and grilled…I could eat a whole bunch all by myself. Great dressing; can’t wait to try it.
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says
Apr 13, 2012 at 10:30 amWhat a delicious asparagus recipe-love the dressing you created for this dish!
KalynsKitchen says
Apr 13, 2012 at 10:54 amDrool! This sounds so amazingly good.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
Apr 13, 2012 at 11:39 amlove this new twist to roasted asparagus!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
Apr 13, 2012 at 2:24 pmI have been loving asparagus lately. This dressing looks so good on it.
Rachel Cooks (formerly Not Rachael Ray) says
Apr 13, 2012 at 2:25 pmThis looks so delicious and I LOVE that second shot! Beautiful.
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says
Apr 13, 2012 at 2:41 pmThat is such a fantastic book and this asparagus looks awesome. Perfect to tote along on a picnic or packed lunch!
Sara{OneTribeGourmet} says
Apr 13, 2012 at 2:42 pmmmm…miso & lime dressing sounds so good! I’m cooking with asparagus almost every day these days…I’m also doing a blog post recipe with asparagus soon!
Maria @ Box of Stolen Socks says
Apr 13, 2012 at 2:45 pmAsparagus season is here and this is the first recipe I’m going to use to make them this Sunday! Great photographs!
Lori-Vancouver BC Airbnb Superhost says
Apr 13, 2012 at 3:13 pmI love asparagus…I’ll have to try it with your Miso sauce but not tonight…it’s the NHL Playoffs – Game 2 for Canucks vs LA Kings…go Canucks!
Belinda @zomppa says
Apr 13, 2012 at 5:41 pmLoving all these creative ways to have asparagus! Great dressing.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Apr 13, 2012 at 11:08 pmYour prep bowls are so cute! And I’m loving this miso flavor in here. It’s a very unique dish that I haven’t seen before.
Sarah | The Cyclist's Wife says
Apr 13, 2012 at 11:25 pmThe Cyclist just brought a tub of miso home yesterday. I was wondering what to do with it. Thanks for providing our first recipe!
Krista says
Apr 14, 2012 at 8:02 amThis is gorgeous Dara! I love simple and fresh recipes like this for Spring.
Lorii Abela says
Apr 14, 2012 at 8:14 amLove how you think of new ways to cook an asparagus. Also love the dressing that you’ve made.
KimNB says
Apr 14, 2012 at 12:48 pmThe miso dressing was excellent on the asparagus. I found just a splash of sesame oil worked really well in the dressing.
Gloria says
Apr 14, 2012 at 1:31 pmI enjoyed this book. It was very eye opening. Like you, I’m probably not going to be living off of only locally produced products anytime soon, but it makes you think and ask questions and creates awareness. Which is a good thing!
Roasted asparagus is one of my favorite preparations. I look forward to trying this miso sauce to twist things up a little.
Sandy says
Apr 14, 2012 at 2:30 pmWhat a great way to let the asparagus shine. Just a little miso to amp up the umami flavor.
Deborah says
Apr 14, 2012 at 5:22 pmThis sounds so delicious – and I have to say, your photos on this post are STUNNING!
Magic of Spice says
Apr 15, 2012 at 10:58 amThe book sounds very interesting, and the asparagus looks so wonderful!
Lora @cakeduchess says
Apr 16, 2012 at 9:20 pmThat is one of my favorite books ever. I dream of living how they did for a year. Your asparagus look so pretty with that flavorful miso lime dressing…I could eat it alone for lunch;)
Jamie says
Apr 17, 2012 at 4:59 amI absolutely loved that book and husband and I have been dreaming of living that lifestyle but wondering how to go about doing it. Meanwhile we make so much more of an effort (okay, I do. He always has.) to buy local and seasonal. And I have been starting to see so many asparagus recipes popping up I am desperately waiting to see them on our market – asparagus are local, too! I love the dressing!
Trish says
Apr 18, 2012 at 9:26 amI love roasted asparagus but i had never considered a miso based dressing. Sounds devine. I will have to try that next time I find some fresh spears.
I’ve read the book. Loved it and what I remember most about the book was the trial and success of feeding others, having a party, while living this way. It’s inspiring.
Donna says
Apr 26, 2012 at 5:29 pmYou must have been reading my mind for this one, Dara! I was just thinking the other day that I need to do more experimenting with miso paste. Will def try this!
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
May 1, 2012 at 6:57 amI’ve never cooked with miso before. I’m gonna hop to it!
WeLoveChicken says
May 21, 2012 at 10:12 amI love asparagus time! I’ve been cooking a lot with asparagus (today I’m going to make pasta with asparagus). Your recipe sound simply and delicious.
Kari@Loaves and Dishes says
Oct 3, 2012 at 5:03 pmRoasting is my favorite way to prepare asparagus. Next time I am going to make it with Miso Lime Dressing… I’m dreaming up other ways to use this dressing as well.