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
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.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
Your 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.
Belinda @zomppa
Loving all these creative ways to have asparagus! Great dressing.
Lori-Vancouver BC Airbnb Superhost
I 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!
Maria @ Box of Stolen Socks
Asparagus season is here and this is the first recipe I'm going to use to make them this Sunday! Great photographs!
Sara{OneTribeGourmet}
mmm...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!
Alyssa (Everyday Maven)
That is such a fantastic book and this asparagus looks awesome. Perfect to tote along on a picnic or packed lunch!
Rachel Cooks (formerly Not Rachael Ray)
This looks so delicious and I LOVE that second shot! Beautiful.
Jersey Girl Cooks
I have been loving asparagus lately. This dressing looks so good on it.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
love this new twist to roasted asparagus!
KalynsKitchen
Drool! This sounds so amazingly good.
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry
What a delicious asparagus recipe-love the dressing you created for this dish!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
It'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.
Shirley @ gfe
I 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
bridget {bake at 350}
Haha...never name the animal you are going to eat. Good advice!
I love roasted asparagus...and the dressing sounds perfect!
Jenny Flake
What perfect looking asparagus! One of my favorite veggies to enjoy! Great recipe! xoox
Maria
I love the dressing! Perfect for spring! Now we just need the snow to stop falling:)
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables
I've never read that Kingsolver book but I LOVED the poisonwood bible so I'll have to give it a try!
shelly (cookies and cups)
This looks absolutely phenomenal! Asparagus is a favorite at my house 🙂
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef
That asparagus looks like it's only a few hours old. I love this recipe!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
That dressing sounds simply lovely! Yum!