Ina Garten’s Easy Asparagus Upgrade Will Taste Better Than Any Restaurants'

We love spring. Not just because it means warmer weather and floral blooms, but also because some of our favorite produce is back in season. Sure, you can get things like peas, strawberries, and asparagus all year round, but there’s nothing like biting into an extra fresh, flavorful fruit or veggie during its peak season.

Recently, we’ve been on an asparagus kick, trying to crack the code to getting roasted asparagus to taste restaurant-worthy. We, of course, love our own oven-roasted asparagus recipe topped with lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. But, leave it to the queen of home cooking, Ina Garten, to upstage us with her five-ingredient asparagus recipe that’s so mouthwatering you’ll be running to the store for asparagus today.

Ina Garten's 5-Ingredient Asparagus Recipe

Garten recently shared her Cacio e Pepe Roasted Asparagus recipe on Instagram as part of her Passover menu. But, the recipe is nothing new to Garten fans as it was originally posted on her “Barefoot Contessa” site in 2020.

The five-ingredient recipe turns an everyday green vegetable into a flavorful dish reminiscent of cacio e pepe pasta. Garten must love the simple flavors of the buttery, cheesy pasta because she draws inspiration from the Italian dish to make her Jennifer Garner-loved scrambled eggs, too.

To make Garten’s Cacio e Pepe Roasted Asparagus, you’ll need thick asparagus spears, unsalted butter (a good time to opt for Garten’s favorite brand, Cabot), Pecorino cheese, Parmesan cheese, lemon, and salt and pepper.

The good news is that Garten uses a few of our restaurant tricks to get her roasted asparagus perfect. First, she cooks the asparagus in a high-temperature oven at 450 degrees F, which allows the asparagus to brown and develop a more complex flavor. She also doesn’t use a ton of butter or oil. Over-oiling can contribute to limp, greasy asparagus rather than buttery, crisp, tender stalks.

Lastly, the addition of cheese and lemon juice takes the asparagus to the next level. The zesty lemon brightens up the earthy vegetable, while the cheeses bring a melty, nutty, sharp flavor. Everything’s better with cheese, right? 

Garten’s easy asparagus side is the versatile dish you need in your rotation this spring and summer. It pairs with most entrées—like chicken, steak, and fish—but with the special cacio e pepe-flair, it’d be extra delicious accompanying an Italian dish, like chicken cutlets or stuffed shells.

For us, though, it might not even make it out of the casserole dish.