Roasting vegetables always brings out their best flavours. Sheet Pan Asparagus with Tomatoes is a great combination, and, even better with those crispy bits of melted parmesan cheese.
I can’t believe I’ve lived this long and never made asparagus this way. We eat tons of asparagus when it’s in season and I’m lucky to be able to buy it directly from local farms. We boil, steam, grill, wrap, stuff, you name it. But recently my friend Kathy told me about this recipe and I can’t thank her enough.
Jump to RecipeWhen buying asparagus, remember to look for the ones with tightly closed tips. That means they’re fresh. Slice or snap off the ends to make sure you don’t get any woody parts. Vegetables shrink when they’re roasted so choose stalks that aren’t too thin. And if they’re all relatively the same thickness they’ll be cooked evenly.
This is so simple but the flavours are amazing. Any size tomatoes will work. Thick or thin stalks of asparagus will work. But make sure to use real parmesan cheese to get those crispy melted bits. And if your sheet pan isn’t very non stick, a sheet of parchment paper will help make sure you don’t waste a single bit of parm.
Tomatoes and asparagus aren’t in season at the same time. But, the little cherry or grape tomatoes are available year round and have lots of flavour. And they’re the perfect size for roasting in the time it takes for the asparagus to be tender but not too soft. Just cut the tomatoes in half, scatter them over the asparagus spears, drizzle some good olive oil over top, then season generously with salt and pepper. Grate fresh parmesan evenly over top.
I recommend using a convection bake or roast setting when making Sheet Pan Asparagus with Tomatoes. And a little higher temperature than normal baking. Somewhere around 15 minutes is just about right, depending on how quickly your asparagus cooks. They should be fork tender but not droopy when you pick them up with a spatula.
Plan on about 6 or 7 stalks per person. Or 13.
Visit Asparagus Farmers of Ontario for fun asparagus facts and lots of recipes. They’ve just released their new Ebook and guess who’s in it?
If you try Sheet Pan Asparagus with Tomatoes, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Sheet Pan Asparagus with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 12-14 stalks asparagus
- 12-14 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup freshly grated real parmesan cheese
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse asparagus and slice or snap off ends. Arrange on a non stick sheet pan.
- Slice tomatoes in half. Scatter over asparagus.
- Drizzle olive oil over asparagus and tomatoes. Grind salt and pepper generously over top.
- Grate parmesan cheese and spread evenly over top.
- Cook on convection bake or roast setting at 400° for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft, cheese is melty and crispy and asparagus is fork tender.