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
Printable Recipe
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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.