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Parmesan-roasted Asparagus

Roasted asparagus tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan, served with lemon wedges.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Parmesan-roasted Asparagus

Oven400°F
Time15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom ½ of each.

  3. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast and serve

  1. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

  2. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute.

  3. Serve with lemon wedges.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

274Calories
14 gProtein
21 gFat
11 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Asparagus6 spears (90g)27
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  2. Asparagus + lemontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together704 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Asparagus + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,096 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  4. Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,922 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  5. Asparagus + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,968 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Asparagus
The main vegetable, which becomes tender and sweet as it roasts.
Parmesan
Melts and browns briefly on the hot spears, adding salty, savoury flavour and a crust.
Olive oil
Carries heat across the spears, promoting even browning and adding fat-based flavour.

The step that matters

Sprinkling the Parmesan and returning to the oven. Parmesan is added only at the end because it browns quickly and can scorch or turn bitter if left in the hot oven too long. One minute is enough to melt and lightly colour it.

Swap the asparagus

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, lemon):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Asparagusthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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