My week of easy recipes started out with a main course, so it wouldn’t be complete without a side dish. Now, I fully admit I didn’t serve these two recipes together. In fact, I don’t think they would work together, but creating menus isn’t my strong suit. That said, I’m giving this Caprese Roasted Asparagus recipe a try today. I have to admit that I couldn’t believe it was a 15-minute recipe after I saw the photos. Then again, that’s why I’m here—to test recipes and find out if they are the real deal. So let’s give this lovely side dish a try!
Caprese Roasted Asparagus is a lovely spring dish perfect for Easter Dinner! Roasted asparagus topped with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and a balsamic glaze. This will definitely be a hit!
The Ingredients
Like the Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin I just made, this Caprese Roasted Asparagus has seven ingredients. Okay, eight if you separate the salt and pepper that’s listed on one line, but I’m counting it as one since they’re so common.
Anyhoo, I did my pantry check and found that I had the salt, pepper, and olive oil. And thanks to my 15th anniversary present from my husband, I had the fresh basil. He bought me an AeroGarden, and I’m loving it! Not only have I not killed any plants for months (a major achievement!), but for once I don’t have to buy fresh herbs and feel guilty about not using the whole package. 😊
That left me to buy a bunch of asparagus, two pints of grape tomatoes, a bag of shredded mozzarella, and a bottle of balsamic glaze. All were easy to find at my usual grocery store, but I’m glad I read the accompanying blog post and comments.
I originally thought the balsamic glaze would be made as part of the recipe. However, I realized there were no instructions/ingredients for it when I was putting together my grocery list. A search of the author’s blog post comments clarified that it’s bottled balsamic glaze.
I didn’t realize it came bottled, but it does and can be found on the salad dressing aisle. Since I had no idea if I would ever use this stuff again, I grabbed the cheapest bottle on the shelf (Bertolli, 6.76 oz. for $3.75).
The Process
Wow, was this Caprese Roasted Asparagus easy to make! I really appreciated the tip on covering the sheet pan with foil as it made clean-up super easy too. The melted cheese could have been a nightmare without it.
Prepping the ingredients was simple. I had previously washed and dried my produce, so I was able to get right into it. I broke off the tough ends of the asparagus spears and added them to the prepped sheet pan with the grape tomatoes, making sure to keep them separate. Then I seasoned both with olive oil, salt, and pepper and tossed them to make sure they were well-covered.
I popped the sheet pan into the preheated oven for five minutes. While it was cooking, I measured out the shredded mozzarella and chopped up some basil. Then I sprinkled the cheese over the asparagus and let everything cook for an additional five minutes.
When it was done, I used a large spatula to place the cheese-covered asparagus on a serving platter. Then I covered it with the roasted tomatoes, sprinkled on the fresh basil, and drizzled it all generously with the balsamic glaze. The glaze’s squeeze bottle was made just for this, and it came out beautifully if I do say so myself. And I do!
Here’s how all my time was spent on this dish:
- 5 minutes to prep
- 10 minutes to cook
- 2 minutes to finish
- 17 minutes total
Slightly longer than the 15 minutes listed, but I’m not mad about it. This recipe was so darn fast, and the results looked like I worked way harder on it than I did.
