By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-10-01

Servings: 4

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Description:

Roasting is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook asparagus. Here we give it an extra flourish with a quick sauce of reduced balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons pine nuts
2. 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
3. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4. 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
6. Freshly ground pepper, to taste
7. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread pine nuts in a small baking pan and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
2. Increase oven temperature to 450° F. Snap off the tough ends of asparagus. Toss the asparagus with shallot, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet with sides. Roast, turning twice, until the asparagus is tender and browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring vinegar and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until slightly syrupy and reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 5 minutes. To serve, toss the asparagus with the reduced vinegar and sprinkle with the pine nuts.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 112 calories; 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat, 3g mono unsaturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 150 mg sodium; 491 mg potassium

Nutrtion Bonus: Vitamin C (30% daily value),Vitamin A (20% dv).

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 fat (mono)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Dinner

Cuisine(s)

American

Degree of Difficulty

Moderate

Special Health Consideration(s)

Low Calorie

Low Carb

Low Sat Fat

Low Sodium

Heart Healthy

Diabetes Appropriate

Healthy Weight

Seasons & Occassions

Spring

Easter

Baby Shower

Bridal Shower

Mother's Day

Entertainment

Housewarming

Birthday

Summer

Father's Day

Technique(s)

Quick

Bake

Roast

Dish Type(s)

Side Dishes

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.

Gluten-Free Disclaimer: We have verified that these recipes do not include the following gluten-containing ingredients: wheat (all varieties, including spelt and kamut, wheat germ or bran and other forms of wheat protein), rye, barley (in all forms, including malt, malt flavoring, malt vinegar and malt extract), oats, triticale or beer/ale. However, many processed foods, such as broths, soy sauce and other condiments, may contain hidden sources of gluten. If a recipe calls for a packaged (e.g., canned) ingredient, we recommend that you carefully read the label to be sure it does not contain a hidden source of gluten.