Asparagus is roasted with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for a summer salad with melted, gooey cheese.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Servings: 4small servings or 2 large
Calories: 93kcal
Ingredients
1lbasparagususually 1 bundle
8ouncescherry tomatoes
2ouncesfresh mozzarella cheese
2teaspoonolive oil
ΒΌteaspoonsalt
8fresh basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Prepare salad ingredients
Preheat oven to 425β. Cut dry ends off asparagus. Cut tomatoes in half. Cut basil into ribbons. Tear mozzarella into small pieces.
Roast at 425β for 5-10 minutes
Place asparagus in the center of a baking sheet with tomatoes on the side. Toss both with olive oil and salt, keeping them separated. Group the asparagus close together and top with mozzarella cheese (so cheese melts onto asparagus, not onto the pan).
Roast for 5-10 minutes, until the asparagus is fork-tender. It will bend slightly if lifted off the pan, but still be sturdy enough that you could probably snap it.
Finish the salad & serve
Use a spatula to move the asparagus to your serving platter. Top with basil, then with tomatoes. Basil doesn't hold up to roasting so it's added later, and sandwiching it between the hot asparagus and tomatoes softens it up and releases some aromas.Drizzle with a good, syrupy balsamic vinegar.
Notes
Asparagus spears
Large spears cook in 8-10 minutes, small spears are done in 4-6
Purple asparagus will lose most (or all) of the purple color after roasting, turning green
NutritionNutrition is calculated as 4 servings, which is 4-5 spears per person.
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