Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

What to expect?

I like reading about food pairing and how restaurant chefs decide what ingredients go together. While I haven’t really seen mushrooms and asparagus as a classic pairing, it still feels like they go well together. Why?

• They are both charismatic enough that neither of them needs heavy seasoning to get them flavorful. We enjoy both of them grilled with only salt and black pepper to accompany them.
• Both have a distinct nutty taste. While asparagus has a sweeter grassy aroma, mushrooms are more savory and earthy.
• The seasoning you choose usually works for both of them.

While our favorite way to eat them is roasted (or grilled), here is a complete article on how to cook asparagus, including sautéing, blanching, and steaming.

Ingredients

With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can create a sensational side dish. So, gather your ingredients and get ready to enjoy the delicious taste of roasted asparagus and mushrooms in 20 minutes!

• Asparagus
• Button mushrooms – They are small, widely available, and affordable. No peeling or chopping is needed before roasting. If you don’t find button mushrooms in your local store, try to look for cremini/crimini, small portobello, baby bella, Italian brown, champignon, or chestnut mushroom. They are practically the same both in taste and texture.
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Nutritional yeast – They are deactivated yeast flakes with a nutty, cheesy, and savory flavor. It is used as a topping or a flavor booster.
• Salt
• Black pepper

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Preparing asparagus

1. Rinse and snap them. Where they break, they break. You can’t really snap them at the wrong place. They break where the asparagus gets woody and hard. Discard the bottom or use them in veggie stock.

2. Peel the ends if needed. After snapping, you can peel the bottom inch or two with a vegetable peeler if it is still thick and woody. I usually only do it with white asparagus, as the thinner green ones tend not to be too woody.
3. No need to cut them. I only cut them up for stir-fries, like in this lemon pepper pasta. They are perfect as it is for roasting.

Preparing mushrooms

• Gently wipe the mushrooms clean with a kitchen towel. We don’t wash them in running water.
• If the mushrooms are small enough, you can roast them whole. You can cut larger ones in quarters.
• Don’t slice them, as they will be done too early compared to asparagus.

Roasting asparagus with mushrooms

1. Line your sheet pan with non-stick parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
2. Place asparagus in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast.

2. Mix mushrooms with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.

3. Arrange the mushrooms in between the asparagus.

4. Roast them in a preheated oven at 425 Fahrenheit (ca. 218 °C) for 13-15 minutes. The time highly depends on the size of the mushrooms and the thickness of the asparagus spears. They are ready when tender if you pierce them with a fork and are slightly brownish on the edges. No need to flip them during roasting. They will be ready without it.

Cooking tip

Button mushrooms have a lot of moisture (more than shiitake or oyster), so we recommend using a fan oven. If you don’t have one, open the oven from time to time or place a wooden spatula behind the door to keep it slightly open for the entire time. This way, the moisture that turns into steam will leave the oven and the asparagus will roast and not cook.

Variations

With endless possibilities for seasoning and garnishing, roasted asparagus and mushrooms can be tailored to your unique preferences and dietary needs.

• Parmesan cheese → While nutritional yeast is an easy flavor booster, you can substitute it with (vegan) Parmesan.
• Butter → Skip olive oil and use (dairy-free) butter. The buttery flavors go great with both vegetables.
• Balsamic vinegar → The acidity of the vinegar helps to brighten up the dish, while the sweetness adds a touch of complexity to the flavor profile.
• Ginger powder or nutmeg → They can add a nice depth and just a bit of spiciness.
• Thyme or rosemary → They are both aromatic and fragrant. Your dish will smell and taste amazing.
• Smoked paprika powder or chili flakes
• Favorite spice blend → If you like Indian, Mexican, or other flavors, season the vegetables with your favorite spice mix. They work well with almost anything.

Serving ideas

To be honest, we like eating them (even our kids) right out of the sheet pan, just like that. But if we feel like dipping it in a sauce, I make this super easy vegan hollandaise, this vegan Bechamel sauce, or this vegan cashew alfredo sauce. 

It is a quintessential spring side dish that many people just serve with grilled meat-based dishes. However, let me give you some delicious meatless ideas that you will enjoy equally:

• Creamy soups → They would be a perfect topping for this vegan corn chowder or this roasted broccoli sweet potato soup. Asparagus goes great with seafood, so a (vegan) clam chowder should also be on your list to try.
• Meatballs → I can picture them in a spaghetti and meatballs dish with a chunky, hearty, vegan marinara sauce. Try them with eggplant meatballs, mushroom meatballs, tofu meatballs, or TVP meatballs.
• Burgers → Instead of French fries, think of them when you make a burger. We have a delicious beet burger, tofu burger, or TVP burger.
• Other ideas – Vegan chicken patties, tofu steak, and cauliflower steak

Storing tips

Sadly, raw asparagus won’t hold long in the fridge. Especially if you store them bundled up or within a plastic wrap. Also, the longer you store them, the larger portion of the asparagus will dry out and have to be discarded.

However, there is a neat trick to avoid that. I rinse them and store them in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. In this way, the drying stops, but you have to use them within 2 days tops. Otherwise, they get slimy.

You can store roasted asparagus and mushrooms in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. We don’t recommend freezing them.

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Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

Emese Maczko

Oven-roasted asparagus and mushrooms are the ultimate spring side dish. With minimal seasoning, these veggies are bursting with flavor. The recipe is easy, done in 20 minutes, and delicious. The best thing that can ever happen to asparagus is to roast them in the oven.

4.5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 4 people

Calories 110kcal

Equipment

• Non-stick baking sheet
• Regular parchment paper

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 17 oz Asparagus
• ▢ 9 oz Button mushrooms
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp Pepper

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Instructions

 

Prepare asparagus before roasting

• Rinse them. 
• Snap them. Where they break, they break. You can’t really snap them at the wrong place. They break where the asparagus gets woody and hard. Discard the bottom or use them in veggie stock.
• Peel the ends if needed. If the end of the asparagus is still thick after snapping, you can peel the bottom inch or two with a vegetable peeler.

Roasting asparagus and mushrooms

• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the prepared asparagus in a single layer. 
• Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast.
• Wash and mix mushrooms with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl and arrange them between the asparagus.
• Roast them in the oven at 425 Fahrenheit (ca. 218 °C) for 13-15 minutes, depending on the size of the mushrooms and the thickness of the asparagus spears. The asparagus and the mushrooms should be tender if you pierce them with a fork and lightly brownish.

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Notes

• Mushrooms have a lot of moisture, so we recommend using a fan oven. If you don’t have one, open the oven from time to time or place a wooden spatula behind the door to keep it slightly open for the entire time. This way, the moisture that turns into steam will leave the oven and the asparagus will roast and not cook.
• I have a little trick to keep them from drying: If it is the end of the season or the asparagus is already woody and wrinkly, after preparing them as per instructions, I usually drop them in a bowl of cold water. I store them in the water and in the fridge. If I don’t store them in water, they snap closer to the spear, so I lose a larger portion of the stalk. In this way, the drying stops, but you have to use them within 2 days tops.

Video

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

Amount Per Serving (1 person)

Calories 110 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 297mg13%

Potassium 494mg14%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 911IU18%

Vitamin C 8mg10%

Calcium 32mg3%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in May 2019, but was rewritten and republished with more tips, serving ideas, and more in April 2023.