Chris and I love asparagus, but we don’t always like to just steam it as it gets a little boring! Sometimes we bake it and top with shredded asiago with delicious results!

One time while cooking for Chris’ family we even got his brother to try and LOVE this side dish of ours! One of my most favorite things about creating in the kitchen is that I can get people who wouldn’t otherwise like a certain veggie, or dish, to reach for seconds! Even this past week Chris and I had some friends in visitng from B.C. and I got someone who said they would never try hummus, to love my roasted garlic hummus! It makes me feel so good inside to know that I have helped open someones pallet and introduce them to something new, even if it’s just something small.

Anyways, back to asparagus. This side dish is very easy to prepare and takes only 15-20 minutes in the oven!

Asparagus with asiago

One bunch fresh asparagus.
A very small amount of Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Shredded asiago to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash well and trim ends off asparagus.
Place in large baking dish and toss with a small amount of olive oil and salt & pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and top with shredded asiago.
Continue cooking for 5-10 minutes or until asiago is melted.

NOTES: When shopping for asparagus look for bunches that have wet ends. If the bottoms are not wet, this means that the asapagus has probably been sitting around for a while. Look for bright green stalks, a little purple is okay. When storing at home place asparagus upright in a small amount of water until ready to use. The best method to properly trim ends off asparagu for this dish is as follows: hold asparagus spear firmly towards the end and bend it until it breaks naturally. The spear should break at the point where it becomes tough.