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:
Rice Noodles with Chicken, Asparagus & Soy-Ginger Sauce
Asparagus Frittata with Smoked Paprika, Thyme & Feta Cheese
Asparagus with Hazelnuts & Dried Cherries
Roasted Asparagus with Miso Lime Dressing
Ingredients
The Dressing:
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
The Asparagus:
- 1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ 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.
Kari@Loaves and Dishes
Roasting 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.
WeLoveChicken
I 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.
Julia {The Roasted Root}
I've never cooked with miso before. I'm gonna hop to it!
Donna
You 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!
Trish
I 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.
Jamie
I 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!
Lora @cakeduchess
That 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;)
Magic of Spice
The book sounds very interesting, and the asparagus looks so wonderful!
Deborah
This sounds so delicious - and I have to say, your photos on this post are STUNNING!
Sandy
What a great way to let the asparagus shine. Just a little miso to amp up the umami flavor.
Gloria
I 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.
KimNB
The miso dressing was excellent on the asparagus. I found just a splash of sesame oil worked really well in the dressing.
Lorii Abela
Love how you think of new ways to cook an asparagus. Also love the dressing that you've made.
Krista
This is gorgeous Dara! I love simple and fresh recipes like this for Spring.
Sarah | The Cyclist's Wife
The Cyclist just brought a tub of miso home yesterday. I was wondering what to do with it. Thanks for providing our first recipe!