Roasted Asparagus & Cherry Tomatoes
From the Strive for Five at School! Resources
Adapted from The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver
Preheat oven to 350°F
Yield: 6
Portion: 4 spears
Cost per serving: $0.61
Ingredients
1 lb (454 g) asparagus, fresh
3/4 lb (300 g) cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1/4 cup (50 mL) fresh basil or 1/2 tbsp (7.5 mL) dried basil
pinch salt pinch
pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese or chopped
hard-boiled egg (for garnish)
1 Wash the asparagus; trim any woody stems at the base of the stalks.
2 Wash the cherry tomatoes.
3 Mix the oil and garlic and spread over the sheet pan. Lay the asparagus spears evenly over the pan, rolling them in the oil/garlic mixture.
4 Evenly distribute the cherry tomatoes over the asparagus. Break apart the fresh basil and
scatter over the asparagus and tomatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
5 Bake for 20–25 minutes, rolling the spears over in the pan every 10 minutes.
Step 6 Serve each asparagus portion of 4 spears in the centre of a side plate with a cherry tomato on top and a slice of whole-grain toast (sliced on the diagonal) placed to 1 side. Garnish with some Parmesan cheese or chopped hard-boiled egg, if you like.
Tip: This is an easy way to prepare a large quantity of fresh asparagus. Check to make sure that the asparagus does not become soft and mushy; rather, it should hold its shape and absorb the flavours of the tomatoes, oil, and garlic that surround it.
