This oven roasted lemon Parmesan asparagus recipe is an easy and low carb side dish for any occasion. A tasty flavor combination of lemon, garlic and parmesan cheese goes so well with fresh asparagus. You only need 5 ingredients and about 25 minutes to make. An easy, tasty and healthy side dish with only 2.4g net carbs per serving!
You might also like this wrapped asparagus with goat cheese!
I really like asparagus as does my hubby. Now that asparagus is in season I thought I’d make something a little different for us as a side dish. Usually we just steam them and add a little bit of butter.
However today we are roasting them with lemon, garlic and grated parmesan cheese to make this easy roasted lemon Parmesan asparagus side dish. Even Max liked this one. Then again it’s a vegetable with cheese so he was bound to like it. 😉
Roasting asparagus gives it a depth of flavor and the parmesan cheese adds a savory, crunchy coating. The lemon zest just brightens the whole dish!
This is the perfect side dish to eat on busy weeknights but also is an elegant side dish for a fancier meal or for entertaining. You only need a few simple ingredients and you can make this low carb asparagus side dish in 25 minutes!
Asparagus a healthy and low carb vegetable.
Asparagus in general is great on a low carb diet. This vegetable has such great taste and it’s easy to prepare. One cup has only 32 calories and 0.6g net carbs!
It’s also high in vitamin K, is a natural diuretic and a great source of fiber. Learn more about the health benefits of asparagus here.
Recipe ingredients I used.
All you need to make this simple side dish which just happens to be low carb is fresh asparagus, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, crushed garlic and lemon zest. You can also season with salt and ground black pepper too. Or add a few crushed red pepper flakes to add some heat.
This recipe should be made with fresh and not canned asparagus. Frozen asparagus could work but you should thaw them first and try to get rid of any excess water from them before coating with olive oil and cheese.
Note I only use the zest and not the lemon juice for this recipe. If you wish you can add a squeeze of lemon juice in with the olive oil mixture. I really just wanted the bright flavor of the zest today.
How to make roasted lemon parmesan asparagus.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. You can also cover with a piece of parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
Step 2: Clean asparagus and cut off the woody ends. Then place them on the prepared cookie sheet. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and crushed garlic.
Then spoon over the asparagus spears on the baking sheet. I used my hands to make sure to coat the spears and then sprinkled a bit more cheese on top.
Step 3: Pop them in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until they are tender and start to brown. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your asparagus. the ones I used today are thinner asparagus spears.
When they are done, let the roasted asparagus cool for a few minutes then transfer to a serving dish. Store leftover in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
What to serve this vegetable side dish with.
I usually serve this dish with a meaty main dish like steak, chicken, salmon, pork or fish. We often eat this with a grilled flank steak in the summer or this chicken with balsamic mushrooms dish in the fall.
It also goes great with orzo, pasta, white rice or cauliflower rice if you are on a keto diet.
Other low carb asparagus recipes to try.
I have many low carb asparagus recipes on the blog. Below are a few of my favorite recipes.
- asparagus with green goddess dressing
- wrapped asparagus with goat cheese
- lemon asparagus noodles with shrimp or creamy dijon noodles (see below)
- creamy orzo with asparagus, mushrooms and peas
- asiago asparagus fries in the air fryer
So if you are like me and normally eat steamed asparagus, give this roasted asparagus recipe a try. It’s so easy and I love that it’s low carb. I’m sure your family will love it. Enjoy!
The nutrition for 1 serving is: 100 calories / 7.9g fat / 4.8g carbs / 2.4g fiber / 4g protein = 2.4g net carb
Keto Lemon Parmesan Asparagus Recipe
This roastsed lemon Parmesan asparagus recipe is perfect low carb side dish for busy weeknight dinners. An easy, tasty, healthy side dish with amazing flavor and only 2.4g net carbs per serving!
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus, fresh
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- zest of one lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking oil. Or you can cover the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
- Clean your asparagus and cut off the woodsy ends.
- Place the asparagus on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl mix olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Pour over the spears and mix well. You may have to use your hands to make sure everything covered in the cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese over top. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until tender and golden brown. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of you asparagus.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 100Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Debbie says
What a delicious way to enjoy Asparagus! This was so easy to make a full of flavor.
PETRA says
Thank you for this recipe! It is awesome!
Since I only had a small lemon in the house I opted to also add the juice of the lemon to the mixture (as well as a good pinch of hot pepper flakes). Turned out very yummy!
Also my asparagus was a bit on the thin side and 20 minutes in the oven was almost a bit to long. In future I will start testing the spears after 15 minutes.
Denise says
Hi Petra,
So glad you liked it! That’s a good idea about the lemon juice. I will try that myself next time. Also good point about baking time depending on the size of the asparagus. My husband (for some odd reason) does not like thin asparagus so mine were on the larger size. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Joey Amposta says
You have lemon listed in the ingredients but it was not used. Why??
Denise says
Hi Joey,
Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I meant to say the zest of one lemon.
I fixed the recipe. Thanks again for taking the time to comment!
Rachel says
Do you mean a lemon “zested” rather than “tested”? How do you test a lemon?
Thanks.
Denise says
Hi Rachel, I just saw that…darn auto correct…by my fault for not proofreading better. And yes I meant the zest of one lemon.
Thanks for commenting!
evie dubois says
aren’t you supposed to break off the “woodsy” end? thought i’ve heard of that b-4!
Denise says
Hi Evie,
Yes you should cut off the woodsy end. I mention that early in the post but I didn’t write that in the actual recipe.
Thanks for stopping by!
evie dubois says
I’m sorry, Denise…..i didn’t read the entire post, went straight to the recipe……this sounds really good
i have never cooked asparagus, always thought it would be complicated, gotta try!! thanks.
Denise says
No problem at all! I’m glad you said something so I could add that to the recipe. And asparagus is very easy to cook. As I said in the post, a lot of times we just eat it steamed with a little butter. Hope you like it.
Diane says
Yes. Just hold the asparagus in your right hand and use your other hand to bend the lower end of the asparagus until it snaps off. I find this method never fails me and only the tender editable piece of asparagus is left to cook.
Denise says
Thanks for taking the time to comment and help out our readers! And yes you are right that is a great way to do it.
Michaela says
I love asparagus, this recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
Denise says
Thanks for stopping by Michaela!
Caroline says
We’ve been having similar thought recently obviously! Like the lemon in there too, must try that
Denise says
Haha…great minds think alike.
Kristen says
This looks perfect for Easter dinner
Denise says
Good idea Kristen!