Summer Side Dish: Lemon Pepper Asparagus

We love it when the spring and summer roll around. It is asparagus season! It is the time of year that we get to make an easy side dish like Lemon Pepper Asparagus. We also get to eat all of the fresh vegetables coming out of our personal garden, farmers market, or our CSA (Community Sourced Agriculture) pickup. In this recipe, we cook the asparagus in the oven on either parchment paper or tin foil for easy cleanup. Feel free to do this on your black stone grill (we love the one we have) or a regular grill in a vegetable pan.

Asparagus on a sheet tray with salt and pepper.

What to look for in Asparagus Spears

You can buy a bunch of asparagus all year round from your grocery store, but in the northeast, it is in season in April and May. During this time you will find that the fresh asparagus are heartier and thicker which will make this dish a lot better. You can always go with thinner spears if that is what you have access to but make sure to lower your cooking time.

Asparagus is also a super interesting vegetable and you can make it extra tasty in a few ways. First, remove the tough end of the spear or as some people refer to them the woody ends. You can do this by bending the asapargus. It will naturally break where those end. You can also lop them off with a sharp knife.

You can also further refine asparagus by peeling it with a vegetable peeler or removing the fibrous outside by gently scrubbing it with a green srub pad (make sure it is brand new). This is not necessary for this recipe but it will help with the ending texture of your asparagus. If we are cooking for just us we don’t do this but will go the extra step for a dinner party.

slices of lemon on a wood cutting board.

Not All Lemon Pepper Seasoning is Alike

Now you could really take the easy way out here and buy store-bought lemon pepper seasoning, but I promise you will be losing out on a ton of flavor. We try to avoid store-bought spice blends at all costs because we can’t control the amount of each spice in them. We always suggest to make your own!

I am not a huge black pepper fan but Matt loves the stuff. Keep in mind that salt and pepper don’t always have to go on food. Salt enhances flavor but black pepper is a flavor alone. I also love to make sure to use fresh lemon zest in this recipe. It ensures you are using every bit of your ingredient but the peel of lemons has so much flavor. I use this mircoplane to gently remove the yellow rind without getting any of the pith (white tissue below). The pith can be super bitter so it is best to avoid it. I then thinly slice the lemon to lay on top of my asparagus as it cooks.

tops of asparagus on a tinfoil lined sheet tray with lemon slices.

Baking your Lemon Pepper Asparagus

If you choose to roast your asapargus stalks make sure you do not overcrowd the pan. Be sure to use a large enough baking sheet pan to be able to have a single layer of asapargus on it. I always choose to cover my sheet pan in aluminum foil but you can also use parchment paper. It makes for an easier clean-up when you are done. This simple side dish only requires you to lay your asparagus flat, drizzle with olive oil, add your seasonings, top with lemon slices, and bake. As the asparagus bakes the lemon slices will heat up and release fresh lemon juice onto your roasted asparagus. It is optional but you can also choose to put some shredded parmesan cheese on top of the asparagus after removing it from the oven and throwing away the lemon slices.

This recipe is great with our Delicious Bake Balsamic Glazed Salmon or our Easy Lemon Pepper Whole Roasted Chicken! If you are making this for meal prep or have leftovers keep them in your fridge in an airtight container. They will last up to 5 days!