I often find that when I am running through ideas for dinner in my head, I tend to overlook the simplest ideas.  Roasting vegetables is easy, healthy and brings a different level of flavor to the dish.

Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

Ingredients

1 bunch of Asparagus

1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1-2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Prosciutto

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Set oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare your asparagus by trimming the ends off, most people bend the asparagus and it naturally gives where it needs to be trimmed. I prefer just to trim the ends off the entire bunch in one cut.

3. Wrap a bundle of 4-5 asparagus in a slice of prosciutto.

4. Drizzle olive oil over asparagus bundles and lightly season with salt and pepper. The prosciutto will provide salt flavoring.

If you want to add the baslamic vinegar, I reccommend that you combine the baslamic and olive oil and then drizzle over the asparagus.

5. Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

I love that the prosciutto becomes a crispy wrapping to the tender asparagus.  The balsamic vinegar infuses throughout the asparagus and the bite of the vinegar is mellowed during the roasting.

Roasted Garlic Broccoli

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Trim broccoli and spread onto a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Toss broccoli together with sliced garlic and lightly coat with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I like to add a light sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to kick up the flavors just a bit, you can omit this if you like.

4. Roast for 15 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

I was lucky to have this dish introduced to me by my great friend, Kerry (follow her awesome blog here) and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought to roast broccoli before.  The broccoli has a completely different flavor then when it is steamed, it becomes almost nutty, which pairs perfectly with the sweet parmesan topping. Give broccoli another life by roasting it with your dinner tonight!

Love with a sprinkle of cheese,

Bri

Tagged: prosciutto wrapped asparagus, roasted asparagus, roasted broccoli, roasted vegetables