Preheat oven to 400 F.
Trim asparagus ends. Place asparagus in a medium-size casserole dish, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Top with minced garlic.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven at 400 F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Sprinkle half of shredded Gruyere cheese (or Parmesan) all over asparagus. Then, add chopped cooked bacon. Top with the remaining half of shredded cheese.
Bake for 10 more minutes, uncovered at 400 F. Serve immediately while the cheese is nice and melty!
Important note: Pay attention to how thick (or thin) the asparagus stalks are. Thinner asparagus will cook faster. Thicker asparagus will take longer to cook. The cooking times should be adjusted accordingly. Also, adjust your cooking times depending on how you like your asparagus: soft or more crispy and crunchy.
