- ½ piece of very thinly sliced prosciutto for each thick spear of asparagus (you may also bundle several thin spears)
- Asparagus (tough bottom ends snapped off)
Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus
For added ease, you can wrap the asparagus in the prosciutto several hours in advance. Simply cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450℉.
- Wrap the asparagus with a piece of prosciutto that has been cut long-ways, starting at the bottom of the spear and working your way up. Wrap as tightly as you can. Place the wrapped spears on a lightly greased baking sheet*, tucking the prosciutto ends underneath.
- Roast for 5-8 minutes, depending on thickness (which tends to vary greatly with asparagus). The spears should be slightly more al dente than you’d prefer to eat them at this point; check early by inserting the sharp point of a knife into one of the spears. Switch the oven setting to broil, and broil 1-2 minutes, rotating once, or until the prosciutto is crisp. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Notes
*Lightly greased foil may be used for easy cleanup. I don’t recommend parchment paper for this recipe, as it will likely burn when broiling.
HELPFUL HINTS
- Ask for the prosciutto to be sliced paper-thin; this will help it to crisp up before the asparagus is fully cooked. It may tear more easily when the spears are wrapped, but that’s okay. Just tuck in the ends and keep going. Thicker slices of prosciutto will still taste great; it’s just that the asparagus will likely be fully cooked before the meat becomes crisp.
- The asparagus may be wrapped in advance and refrigerated. It’s okay to refrigerate the wrapped spears uncovered. This will actually help dry out the prosciutto, which aids in crisping later. Beyond a few hours, either cover everything with plastic wrap or cover just the asparagus ends with a damp paper towel.
- As an option, you may cook the asparagus on the grill over medium heat until the asparagus is tender. Carefully rotate the well-wrapped bundles a few times to evenly crisp the prosciutto, and adjust the temperature down if the meat is cooking more quickly than the asparagus. When cooking on the grill, you might also find it helpful to secure the prosciutto with a wooden toothpick that has been soaked in water to prevent burning.