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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
Happy Friday! I’ve joined a group of bloggers who are devoting the first Friday of each month to the recipes of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. How fun is that? As a huge Ina Garten fan, I feel compelled to take part. And since I own all of her cookbooks, it’s the perfect way to finally give them some of the attention they deserve 🙂
This month we are focusing on salad, soup, and side recipes. Since it’s asparagus season I decided to highlight what has become one of my favorite springtime vegetable dishes, Ina’s Parmesan Roasted Asparagus.
With just a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, it’s simple and delicious. Just pop it in the oven and roast until tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Low in fat, calories & WW Points, it’s also WeightWatchers friendly.
The recipe appears in Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family (affiliate link). I’m not sure if it was Ina who introduced me to the concept of roasted asparagus, but she definitely gets credit for the idea of topping it with shredded Parmesan!
This is my kind of recipe. Quick. Easy. Delicious. Simple enough for every day, yet scrumptious enough for special occasion status. I’ve made it many, many times. We had it most recently as part of our Easter dinner.
The only thing I did differently this time was cook it in my Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System (affiliate link), so it didn’t brown up quite as much as it would have in a regular oven, but I think it was even more tender.
Perfect alongside most any grilled or roasted fish or meat including lamb, chicken and salmon, if you’ve never had roasted asparagus you’re in for a treat. Even folks not that fond of vegetables—including my mom—have been won over by it.
How Many Calories & WeightWatchers Points in this Oven Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan?
According to my calculations each serving has 85 calories and:
2 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Easy Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Recipe Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon cut into wedges for serving
How to Roast Asparagus Step by Step
Step 1: Gather and Prep your ingredients. If the stalks are thick and/or seem tough, peel the lower half of each one.
Step 2: Place the asparagus on sheet pan or oven safe baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Roll/toss to coat with the oil and then arrange in a single layer for even cooking. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Step 4: Place in the oven and bake/roast until tender to your liking, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size/age of your asparagus. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts, another 1 to 3 minutes.
Step 5: Serve with lemon wedges.
The Skinny on Parmesan Roasted Asparagus Cooking Notes
I adapted the recipe slightly, reducing it to make enough for four servings instead of six and cutting back a little on the olive oil and Parmesan in the name of Weight Watchers friendliness.
One trick to remove the woody ends, is to grab each asparagus stalk at either end and bend until it snaps. It will naturally snap where it starts to get tough. Or for less waste, if the stalks appear thick and/or tough, you can peel the bottom half of each stalk with a vegetable peeler (affiliate link).
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus Recipe Variations:
no asparagus: any single or vegetable combination would work – broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, etc.
no parmesan: substitute any flavorful meltable cheese – asiago, cheddar, pepper jack, feta, etc.
no lemon: skip it or substitute a drizzle of your favorite vinegar – red wine, balsamic, etc.
more flavor: add a clove or two of chopped fresh garlic before roasting. If you don’t have fresh garlic, granulated garlic or garlic salt will work well.
more spice: sprinkle with a pinch or two of crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, ground chili pepper, etc.
more veg: add additional vegetables when roasting your asparagus. Three of my favorites are sliced red bell pepper, mushrooms, and halved cherry tomatoes.
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Parmesan Roasted Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
- If the stalks of the asparagus are thick and/or seem tough, peel the bottom half of each.
- Place the asparagus on sheet pan or oven safe baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Roll/toss to coat with the oil and then arrange in a single layer for even cooking. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven and bake/roast until tender to your liking, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size/age of your asparagus.
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts, another 1 to 3 minutes.
- Serve with the lemon wedges.
Notes
- no asparagus: any single or vegetable combination would work – broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, etc.
- no parmesan: substitute any flavorful meltable cheese – asiago, cheddar, pepper jack, feta, etc.
- no lemon: skip it or substitute a drizzle of your favorite vinegar - red wine, balsamic, etc.
- more flavor: add a clove or two of chopped fresh garlic before roasting. If you don't have fresh garlic, granulated garlic or garlic salt will work well.
- more spice: sprinkle with a pinch or two of crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, ground chili pepper, etc.
- more veg: add additional vegetables when roasting your asparagus. Three of my favorites are sliced red bell pepper, mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family (affiliate link) by Ina Garten
A note about WW Points
If you're following Weight Watchers, all the recipes here on Simple Nourished Living have been updated for the new WW program, with points displayed in the recipe card. The Check the WW Points link in the recipe card takes you to the Weight Watchers App where you can edit it using the WW recipe builder or add it to your day.
(Must be logged into WW account on a mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet).
In this video, Laura Vitale from Laura in the Kitchen demonstrates how to make easy Parmesan roasted asparagus:
Cheese is allowed?
Theresa, everything is allowed on WW provided you plan for it 🙂
I am not a fan of Ina Garten, but this recipe looks really good and I will give it a try.
Hope you like it!
I wish that Hubby liked asparagus or at least, did not despise them. Glad to see you in the group. I am enjoying cooking Ina.
I have never had Asparagus this way, and I definitely need to try this one.
I have never eaten or cooked asparagus and I don’t know why. But this is such a easy and simple recipe I have to try it 🙂 I love Cheese on everything so it should be a treat.
I love your new profile picture. You look great! Like Alyce asparagus prepared this way is one of my favorites, but I also add garlic.
Thanks, Mireya. Garlic sounds like a yummy addition.
This is one of my favorite asparagus recipes, though sometimes I just put on some crushed red pepper, salt, and grated lemon instead of the Parmesan. Or, if in a terrible rush, I do the asparagus in the microwave for two minutes and then top with either the lemon or the cheese…Whatever I do, I’m always glad I’ve done it. I, too, have all of Ina’s books and, you’re right, this is a good reason to get them all out and see what I haven’t made. Happy Ina Friday!