Blue skies are back and the sun is sitting a little higher. Light is filtering in broken color through the lemons and cherry flowers and I’m watching a bunch of honey bees floating between pink petals, their sharp buzzing no match for the orchestral arrival of the birds (did you know that songbirds have two sets of vocal cords – humans have one – which allows them to produce two different sounds simultaneously? No wonder they can belt out a tune).
Yes indeed, spring has arrived in all of its glory and asparagus is on the menu!
First things first: this tangy honey-lemon dressing… you have my permission to use it on everything but this is a really good place to start. Prepare for the mouth pucker.
Roasting asparagus allows the stalks to soften, the tips to darken and the flavors to intensify. It’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy this spring green. I’ve added some chunky feta for the baking part and once out of the oven, some chopped almonds get sprinkled over top with everything coming together in a delicious lemony mess.
Ready to serve right off the sheet pan for barbecue season or transferred to a plate, however you like.
- For the Roasted Asparagus
- About 1 pound (450 g) asparagus, washed and trimmed (the woodsy bottoms removed)
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 3 oz (85 g) crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup (30 g) chopped roasted almond
- For the Honey-Lemon Dressing
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1+1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 round tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1 tsp salt
- a few cracks of pepper
- Heat oven to 425F.
- In a container with fitted lid, combine: olive oil, lemon juice, half of the lemon zest (reserving other half), garlic, honey, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine (making sure the honey is integrated and not sticking to the bottom) and transfer into a dish large enough to accommodate asparagus stalks. Add the asparagus to the dish and intermingle with the dressing allowing the stalks to marinate in the flavors for 10-15 minutes (or overnight in fridge if you like).
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and add lemon wedges along edges on either side. Spread marinated asparagus over top (they will be cozy which is fine) and invert all of the juices, herbs and bits.
- Top the asparagus with crumbled feta and then top the feta with remaining lemon zest and a few cracks of pepper (you could also add red pepper flakes if that's something you enjoy).
- Roast for about 10 minutes until the asparagus develops a nice deep green color and then switch oven to broil for about 2 minutes watching carefully to add pops of color to the feta (it won't really brown).
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with almonds and serve in the pan with tongs (for casual barbecue style) or transfer in segments with a large spatula to a serving plate or individual dishes as preferred, making sure to scoop up some of those delicious juices with every serving!
Feta: I don't overdo it on the feta - just enough to add interest to the dish without overwhelming - if you prefer, you can use a different crumbly cheese - a mild goat cheese would also be nice here. I would stay away from overly fragrant/strong cheeses for this dish - you really want the honey-lemon dressing to be the star.
Herbes de Provence: I use the one made by Organics which includes lavender. It's a fragrant bouquet of herbs that works beautifully here and I strongly recommend it in this recipe (you don't want to skip it!)
Are you just marinating the asparagus in the dressing, or do you pour it over the aoaragus as well and bake it in it???
yes, after the 15 minute soak, you’ll pour all the juices from the marinade onto the baking sheet over the asparagus to cook with it :) enjoy!
Delicious! My new favorite asparagus recipe! I omitted the nuts. Will add the next time.
Oh, yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed Nancy, thanks so much for dropping in to let me know, x
Thank you for sharing! https://imgur.com/a/C5Xcliq
I thought I saw this pop into my in box but promptly forgot to check it out, these days my brain is like a dog’s distracted by a squirrel! I’ve been seeing some asparagus but not Ontario asparagus as yet, it’s pretty wintery here still! When I do see them, rest assured that I’ll be back to follow this tasty recipe !
I can’t believe it took me so long to discover roasted asparagus. I roasted some last weekend and it was delicious. Now I can’t wait to give your recipe a try. I love honey lemon dressing but I’ve never added herbs de Provence to it. A simply lovely dish Kelly.
Love the picture of the bee and flowers.
Ah, thank you MJ, I got that shot at great personal risk haha, but it was worth it! Hope you enjoy the recipe if you get a chance to make it – the dressing is really yummmmy.
Your photos are dreamy and this recipe has some of my favorite flavors, can’t wait to try! ps laughed out loud when I got to the part about the nutty relatives 😂
haha, I count myself at the top of the list of nuts! I hope you enjoy this recipe Kay, and thank you for your note.
Great photos! And I’m with Sally – it seems too often for me, too much sugar/honey is used. I typically steam good spring asparagus, which seems a little boring now that I’m looking at this beautiful recipe. Love the almonds!
ah yes – another method i like is to just sauté small pieces, they soften quickly — work well for stir-fries, etc. taking on whatever sauce/seasonings you’re using.
now THAT’s a dressing the way a dressing should be – quite often I see recipes that call for 1/3 cup of honey (and my wallet hurts a little) and a bit of lemon for good measure. I never ‘get’ that.
to me, the mouth pucker is where it’s at!
lovely recipe, go to my files to make soon (although I will have to modify a little, grilled asparagus and braces are not a good match, but I found a way to compromise, which… BTW should be on the blog this week…)
my pancreas hurts a little, lol. but for reals, i prefer sour flavors; i’m with you on the mouth pucker:)
Recipe looks amazing and the pics are stunning!!
thanks so much ♥