Place desired quantity of asparagus in a pan that can go in the oven. My mom uses pie pans, I have a brownie pan, as long as it is shallow it’s fine.
Drizzle olive oil (extra virgin, first cold pressing; yes I am an olive oil snob) over asparagus. This, as most of this recipe, is done to taste. If you really love the flavor of olive oil, put more in. I’ve had it both ways, I prefer more of a drizzle than a bath, if that makes sense.
Add chopped fresh garlic. I typically use one peeled/chopped clove, and scatter the pieces around in the pan. Add salt and pepper.
Bake in the middle of the oven from 12-20 minutes. I know it’s a huge time range, but it really depends a lot on the size of the asparagus, and the desired firmness. I’m not a fan of squishy, but I prefer a bit softer than crunchy. Smaller sized asparagus I typically bake around 15 minutes. Larger stalks I’ve left in for 20.
This can be done with a variety of vegetables as well. It’s especially good with broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes. The only concern with mixing veggies is that they tend to cook at different times, so it’s a bit of trial and error, for me anyway. I’ll cook potato pieces a good 12 minutes or more before I add the asparagus and broccoli, which in turn need to cook a lot longer than the zucchini and yellow squash.
This is especially good next to a beautiful steak, but can make a dinner in and of itself.
