This recipe is one of the simplest recipes of all time, but it is one of my favorites.

There are a million variations, none of them wrong.

Alter the spices, the measurements, the temperatures, the cooking time, whatever, but it still comes out as baked asparagus.

Less time will make it more crisp, more time will make it more tender.

Obviously, more spices will up the flavor, less with give you more of the natural asparagus flavor.

Sometimes I like to just drizzle some plain olive oil on the asparagus and just bake it with no seasoning.

This batch, I tried the white asparagus mixed in with the green asparagus that we all love so much.

It is prepared the same way, but the flavor is very different. White asparagus is milder and not as good, but it is a nice change when mixed with the green.

Start by mixing the seasonings into the olive oil in a small bowl. Let it sit for a while to soak the flavors into the oil.

Next, trim the bottoms off of the stalks.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Brush the olive oil on to the asparagus on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning them over once during the baking.

Serve hot.

That’s seriously how easy this dish is.

A couple of variations to try are replacing the basil with red pepper flakes or chili powder, or drop the salt for a slightly healthier version.

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh asparagus

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. basil

3 tbsps. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste