How Long To Bake Asparagus At 400℉

How long to bake asparagus at 400℉? Regardless of the season or the weather, asparagus is a great complement to any dish. It’s also one of the more contentious vegetables, too. Because of its slimy texture, bitter flavor, and occasionally tough stalks, asparagus is viewed with disgust by many people, much like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. However, inappropriate baking or boiling of the asparagus generally results in these complaints.

Also, if you don’t have the right pot for cooking asparagus, we recommend cooking the asparagus in the oven. This method is particularly gentle and preserves the delicate aromas of the beloved stick vegetables. We introduce you to baking asparagus at 400℉ with 3 simple variants.

Whether steamed, roasted, or gratinated – with our instructions for asparagus from the oven, the stick vegetables are wonderfully aromatic.

How Long To Bake Asparagus At 400℉

For the first variant, you need a deep baking tray and aluminum foil or baking paper to cover.  Alternatively, you can also use a large roaster with a lid. It is only important that you cover the asparagus so that water vapor can develop. In this, the vegetables then cook particularly gently and retain their full aroma.

That’s how it works:

1. Wash and peel the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Spread the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet or in the roaster.
2. Sprinkle 1 large pinch of salt and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over the asparagus. Pour approx. 1 liter of water. Spread a few knobs of butter or margarine on the asparagus spears. Wrap the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Alternatively, place baking paper on the asparagus and secure the tray on the left and right with kitchen twine. Close the roaster with the lid.
3. Cook the asparagus in the oven at 400℉ for 35-45 minutes. To test cooking, pierce the thickest end of an asparagus spear with a fork or knife. If the vegetables are soft at this point but still offer some resistance, they are perfectly cooked.

The oven-baked asparagus with homemade hollandaise sauce is particularly delicious.

How to recognize fresh Asparagus?

So what should you consider when buying asparagus? And how do you really recognize bad asparagus? We explain how you can complete the perfect asparagus purchase in five steps:

1. Appearance counts: When buying asparagus, you should make sure that there are no brown spots. The surface must be silky and shiny.
2. The smell counts: Test the freshness with your nose. Because fresh asparagus smells less intense and obtrusive than inferior ones.
3. The sounds count: Fresh asparagus squeaks when you rub the spears together.
4. The pressure test counts: You can recognize fresh asparagus by the fact that water comes out of the ends of the asparagus when you press lightly. Not the case? Then hands off!
5. Stability counts: fresh asparagus should not be easy to bend and only lose stability during the cooking process.