Preheat the oven to 400°. Rinse the asparagus. By hand, break off the tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Do this by grasping the thick end of the stack and bending it. The stalk will break just above the toughest part. Thicker stalks should be peeled with a vegetable peeler.

Place the stalks in a large baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil over the stalks and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat. Arrange the stalks in a single layer, with all the tips pointing in the same direction.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven. If your oven has a cooler side, position the baking dish so that the tips of the stalks are in the cooler region of the oven. The tips do not take as long to cook.

Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove the baking dish and gently toss the asparagus. Then return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.