We’re all about balance here at EatingWell. Some days, we’ll go for a slice of delivery deep dish. Others, we’ll whip up a fresh cauliflower crust pizza. We’ll alternate cocktails and mocktails come happy hour ‘o clock (or for a fun dinner party addition). Certain nights, we power up with a plate of pasta. Then the next day, we crave a piled-high entree salad.

That’s why we are all about this Ina Garten side dish that combines two things we’re more than passionate about: the intensely cheesy taste of cacio e pepe and the crisp refreshment of a delish fresh veggie. Introducing: Cacio e Pepe Roasted Asparagus.

This quick and easy vegetable side dish takes the flavors of the traditional Italian pasta—including a bit of butter, some salty cheese, lemon and black pepper. Instead of tossed with bucatini or spaghetti, though, she tosses those luscious, complementary toppings with peak-season asparagus. And the kicker is that it only takes 15 minutes or so.

It’s exactly the kind of lusciously cheesy vegetable we can’t get enough of, and it’d be right at home in a lineup of our other favorite cheesy spring veggies, like Cacio e Pepe Whole Roasted Cauliflower and Cacio e Pepe Sautéed Cabbage.

We did the math and each serving of her Cacio e Pepe Roasted Asparagus has about 105 calories, 7 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs (including 4 grams of fiber) and 5 grams of protein. It also counts as one of your vegetable servings and offers a solid dose of vitamin D and iron.

With a nice blend of salty, earthy and nutty flavors and just a hint of richness, we’ll have this side dish on repeat all asparagus season long—that should run all spring, by the way, from February into June. Here’s how you can put this simple but tasty dish together.

Start by gathering those ingredients we just talked about. Other than asparagus, all you’ll need is unsalted butter, Pecorino cheese, Parmesan cheese, some lemon, and salt and pepper. Go ahead and grate your cheeses, then set them aside.

Ina uses both standard kosher salt and prettier flaky sea salt in this recipe, but let’s be honest—if you don’t want to make an extra trip to the store for fancy salt, you don’t have to.

This asparagus will get cooked twice, so start by trimming away any woody ends, then grab your trusty peeler and peel the bottom inches of the spears. The peeling is part of a French method that we recommend anytime you boil asparagus. (It would even be a wise move when making something like our Asparagus Casserole.)

The next step is the initial cook time for the asparagus. In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the pot and cook until just al dente—Garten says that should take about 3 minutes or so. Once ready, drain the asparagus and grab a baking dish.

Melt your butter and add it, the asparagus, salt and pepper to the baking dish. Toss everything together until the veggies are seasoned and coated evenly. Then sprinkle the asparagus with both cheeses and roast at 450 degrees F, until the cheese is nice and melted.

Once baked, pull the asparagus from the oven and spritz with a little fresh lemon juice, then sprinkle on the flaky salt, if you have it. Serve the dish in four portions, and pair it with your favorite main for a delicious dinner. These spears would be perfect with a simple side of risotto and our Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata, or you could opt for a veggie-forward meal and pair them with our Marry Me Chickpeas and a crusty slice of whole-wheat bread.