Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Bacon and Cheese
May 15, 2011, Updated Jun 10, 2023
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This cheesy garlic roasted asparagus with bacon is such a delicious side dish! Smothered with three different kinds of melted cheese and sprinkled with smoky crumbled bacon, this easy asparagus recipe is perfect for the holidays, and quick enough to make any night of the week.
Cheese, bacon, and asparagus is a winning combination. If you love it as much as I do, try my cheesy grilled asparagus in foil packs and this bacon wrapped asparagus.
This garlic roasted asparagus turns oven roasted asparagus into a savory, cheesy veggie side dish. I love making asparagus in the oven because it’s so quick and easy, and this recipe is no exception. To take this dish up a notch, I add crispy bacon and cheese to the equation. Because bacon and cheese make everything better!
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Asparagus Recipe
- Extra cheesy. I mean, I could have sprinkled over some shredded cheddar and ended there. But when I found a block of Monterey Jack in the fridge, and a tub of feta, I loaded this asparagus up with not one, but THREE kinds of melty cheese.
- Smoky bacon. Rounding out the flavors of this roasted asparagus is a generous sprinkle of smoky, salty bacon. It pairs deliciously with the cheese and earthy veggies.
- Versatile. Asparagus has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor and a tender, crisp texture that makes it super versatile, especially as a side dish. This cheesy, garlicky roasted asparagus with bacon is great as a holiday side, and it’s just as tasty on any given weeknight.
What You’ll Need
The ingredients for this garlic roasted asparagus recipe are super simple. I’ve included some quick notes here. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.
- Asparagus – Look for firm, smooth stalks. You’ll want to wash, dry, and trim your asparagus spears before you start. Trimming asparagus is easy. Just feel around the bottom of the stalk where the woody part becomes tender, and snap it off.
- Olive Oil – For roasting. Any type of oil works here.
- Garlic – Please use freshly minced garlic for this recipe! You’ll taste the difference.
- Bacon – You can use regular, thick-cut, or Canadian bacon, pretty much anything goes. Even pancetta is a good option.
- Cheese – I use a combination of shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crumbled feta to melt over the asparagus. Feel free to change it up with your favorite cheeses!
How to Make Garlic Roasted Asparagus
The key to roasting vegetables is to preheat the oven to a hot 450ºF. Making this side dish is as easy as roasting the asparagus in high heat for 10-12 minutes, melting over the cheese, and then serving topped with cooked crumbled bacon. You’ll find the full instructions in the printable recipe card below the post.
How Can I Tell if Roasted Asparagus Is Done?
Your garlic roasted asparagus is cooked when it’s fork tender, similar to the texture you’re after when cooking broccoli or broccolini. Stick a fork or knife into the thickest part of the stalk, and if it slides in easily, the asparagus is done.
Why Isn’t My Asparagus Crispy?
Limp, soggy roasted asparagus is usually the result of overcooking. Asparagus roasts quickly. It only takes about 10 minutes! Try to find asparagus spears that are similar in size so that they roast evenly, this way you don’t end up with some that are overcooked.
Also, since you’ll return the asparagus to the oven with bacon and cheese, make sure that you don’t leave it to roast too long at the start.
Serving Suggestions
This crispy garlic roasted asparagus is the perfect flavor-loaded vegetable side dish next to an Easter ham, and it’s great next to roast turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving. I also love it because it’s easy to make for weeknight dinners. Serve asparagus as a side to a whole roasted chicken, juicy pork chops, or garlic butter salmon.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store this roasted asparagus with garlic in an airtight container and keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It’s great for reheating, or I’ll turn leftovers into an easy asparagus soup.
- Reheat. Microwave the asparagus, or warm it in the oven under foil until it’s hot again. Feel free to melt over more cheese if you’d like.
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Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Bacon and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus spears,, washed, dried, and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- 8 slices bacon
- ½ cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Place the asparagus on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and add minced garlic, salt, and pepper; toss around to combine.
- Cook the asparagus for about 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- In the meantime, cook the bacon in a skillet to a desired crispness.
- Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate; drain, then crumble. Set aside.
- Remove the asparagus from the oven and sprinkle with cheeses.
- Place asparagus back in the oven and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle bacon over asparagus.
- Serve.
Notes
- Asparagus: Look for asparagus with firm, smooth stalks. Avoid asparagus with wilted or yellowing tips or stalks that are woody or wrinkled.
- Trim the ends: Asparagus has a woody end that is tough and fibrous. To remove it, hold the asparagus spear by the ends and gently bend it until it snaps. The asparagus will naturally break where the woody part ends, and the tender part begins. Discard the woody ends.
- Use high heat: Asparagus cooks best at high heat, so it’s important to preheat your oven, grill, or pan before adding the asparagus. This will help the asparagus cook quickly and prevent it from becoming soggy or mushy.
- Season it well: Asparagus tastes best when it is well-seasoned.
- Don’t overcook it: Asparagus should be tender but crisp when cooked. To test for doneness, insert a sharp knife into the thickest part of the stalk. If it goes in easily, the asparagus is done. If there’s resistance, it needs a few more minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Mmm, Kate, you will always have my heart ๐ This looks wonderful! I’m sorry to hear about the weather, though. We actually got RAIN this morning in Southern California! NUTS! And it’ll be quite chilly over the next couple of days. So odd!
Asparagus in a oven or grill, well they are always just amazing!!!! I think asparagus grilled is just heavenly:-) Beautiful pictures!
Hugs, Terra
Hi Kate-Your roasted asparagus with the feta and bacon is so amazing, that it’s a perfect entree for such hot days, especially here in S. Florida.
Coincidence, that I also made asparagus for dinner as a side dish, but I grilled it in a cast iron skillet, which really turned out great, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
For sure, next time I will make it your way. Love it:DDD
BTW-I will add your blog on my blog roll list since you don’t have the Google friends follow. This way I can click on your blog to come back again. Love your blog!
Asparagus is my favorite vegetable and I love to eat it roasted with olive oil and salt. I have never had feta cheese on it before; I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Yum!! Kate these veggies look great- I love feta, ok and bacon too. LOL I will definately have to try this- Oooh I just bought some asparagus at the farmers market. YAY!
I know….what’s up with that? I took all my winter clothes to dry clean and was all ready for the beach. But being in California I can’t complain too much my winter was nothing compared with East coast. Anyway….grill or not asparagus looks delicious. And paired with bacon and feta, yummmmmm…
I’m sorry you weren’t able to grill, but this dish still looks amazing! I love the addition of the bacon and feta too. Yum!
Same here sister! It was in the ’90’s on Wednesday here, and today barely made it to 60. I’m having the same grill woes. Asparagus looks amazing!
I’m an asparagus fiend and this is a great twist on it – i’m almost glad you couldn’t grill! I’ll have to give it a try.
BTW, your photos are looking great, Kate!
Hi Kate! What a great addition to the asparagus! I have added bacon to the asparagus but not the feta cheese. Next time I’ll add it for sure. Thanks for the wonderful idea! ๐