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All About Asparagus
Recipe
30 min

Roasted Asparagus with Mint-Orange Gremolata

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Roasted Asparagus with Mint-Orange Gremolata
Author: Steve Dunn

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on August 27, 2026

A blazing-hot oven is only part of the formula for deeply browned, crisp-tender spears.

Time

30 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Why This Recipe Works

We roasted relatively thick asparagus spears on a preheated baking sheet in a 500-degree oven, which ensured that they browned deeply and quickly. Not moving the spears during cooking allowed them to get a rich sear on one side and remain vibrant green on the other, which helped them retain their freshness and tender snap. We trimmed the base of the spears with a knife and peeled away their tough skin to reduce waste. We love serving the roasted spears with our Mint-Orange Gremolata.

Ingredients

Asparagus

2 pounds thick asparagus
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Gremolata

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    Asparagus

  1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
  2. Trim bottom inch of asparagus spears and discard. Peel bottom halves of spears until white flesh is exposed. Place asparagus in large baking pan and toss with 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper.
    Recipe Tip
    This recipe works best with thick asparagus spears that are between ½ and ¾ inch in diameter.
  3. Transfer asparagus to preheated sheet and spread into even layer. Roast, without moving asparagus, until undersides of spears are browned, tops are vibrant green, and tip of paring knife inserted at base of largest spear meets little resistance, 8 to 10 minutes.

    4. Mint-Orange Gremolata

  4. Meanwhile, combine mint, parsley, orange zest, garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl, set aside.
    Recipe Tip
    To avoid harsh garlic flavor, don’t mince the garlic until you’re ready to mix the gremolata.
  5. Transfer asparagus to serving platter, drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons oil, spoon or sprinkle the gremolata over the top, and serve immediately.

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Roasted Asparagus with Mint-Orange Gremolata

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on August 27, 2026

Time

30 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Roasted Asparagus with Mint-Orange Gremolata

Ingredients

Asparagus

2 pounds thick asparagus2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided½ teaspoon table salt¼ teaspoon pepper

Gremolata

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley2 teaspoons grated orange zest1 garlic clove, mincedPinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

    Asparagus

  1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
  2. Trim bottom inch of asparagus spears and discard. Peel bottom halves of spears until white flesh is exposed. Place asparagus in large baking pan and toss with 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper.
    Recipe Tip
    This recipe works best with thick asparagus spears that are between ½ and ¾ inch in diameter.
  3. Transfer asparagus to preheated sheet and spread into even layer. Roast, without moving asparagus, until undersides of spears are browned, tops are vibrant green, and tip of paring knife inserted at base of largest spear meets little resistance, 8 to 10 minutes.

    4. Mint-Orange Gremolata

  4. Meanwhile, combine mint, parsley, orange zest, garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl, set aside.
    Recipe Tip
    To avoid harsh garlic flavor, don’t mince the garlic until you’re ready to mix the gremolata.
  5. Transfer asparagus to serving platter, drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons oil, spoon or sprinkle the gremolata over the top, and serve immediately.
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