Spicy Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Mozzarella Cheese

Roasted asparagus covered with aromatic garlic and melted mozzarella cheese, a delicious side that can be paired with any main dish.

I’m currently obsessed with asparagus. Can you tell? But no worries. This will be the last asparagus post for awhile. I don’t want everyone to be sick and tired of it so soon.

A few weeks ago, I saw this post by The Mindful Mommie, and it looked so delicious, simple, and healthy. I loved the idea of roasting asparagus so I decided that I wanted to try something similar.

I love this dish because it’s healthy and requires just a few ingredients, most of which I already have in my kitchen. I only had to run out and get the asparagus. I first made this recipe last week. My sisters loved it so much that I made it again just today.

I used half a bundle of the asparagus. But you can use however much you want. This recipe will serve as a general guideline, but you can add more or less of each ingredient based on what you like. If you like garlic, add more garlic. If you like spicy, add more crushed red peppers. If you love cheese, add more cheese. This recipe is flexible in that sense. It allows you to add or take away ingredients depending on what you like. You can also easily double the recipe.

First, preheat the oven to 350^oF. Line a baking pan or a baking sheet with foil.

Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottom, about one centimeter, maybe more. The reason I recommend doing this is because oftentimes, the bottom of the asparagus is tough and fibrous, making it hard to chew. You will be able to feel it when you cut them. The blade of your knife will have more difficulty slicing through that area than areas that are tender. I used thin asparagus, but you can use the thicker ones. The thicker size asparagus will take longer to cook.

Place the asparagus onto the lined baking pan. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto them.

Top the asparagus with minced garlic.

Sprinkle on Italian seasoning, crushed red peppers, and a pinch of salt.

Top the asparagus with about a ¼ – ½ cup of mozzarella cheese, depending on how much cheese you like. If you don’t like cheese,  you don’t have to add it. I didn’t add cheese the first time.

Place the asparagus into the oven and roast at 350^oF for about 15 minutes or until the asparagus has become tender.

Serve the asparagus warm or cold. Enjoy!

This is how the asparagus looks without the cheese.

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