Roasted Vegetables

Rustic and colorful roasted vegetables are easy to prepare and a delicious option to pair with just about any meal, any day of the week!

Roasted Vegetables, a Beautiful and Healthy Little Medley

Roasted vegetables are one of those side dishes that I love to prepare as a healthy accompaniment to many different meals.

When drizzled with a little olive oil, some salt, pepper and a flourish of dried herbs, then roasted until golden, sweet and savory, that's all that's needed to make me a happy, veggie-eating gal!

I prefer a nice little medley of vegetables when I prepare them in this way, and so I typically choose some carrots, parsnips, rutabagas or turnips, and baby potatoes to toss together and turn out onto my sheet pan. About forty-five minutes later, I’ve got a beautiful and healthy dish to nibble on, either on its own or as a part of my main meal!

Getting the Most Flavor Out of Roasted Vegetables

Roasting vegetables is a process that already offers lots of flavor, because the high heat of the oven caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, and it brings out their earthy and delicious flavor. Setting the oven at 400° and then allowing your veggies to roast for roughly 45 minutes will yield truly mouthwatering results.

Wondering which vegetables roast best? Carrots and parsnips already have a natural sweetness to them, the rutabaga or turnips (depending on which you prefer to use) offer a hint of bitter-sweetness and depth, and of course the baby potatoes are mellow and buttery.

Using a good olive oil always brings more flavor to the party as well, as does some sea salt, cracked pepper and a combination of dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, tarragon, and the like. And if you prefer to stick to a single bottle of herbs, you can find most of these in an Italian seasoning blend, or in Herbes de Provence, my choice for this particular recipe.

Finally, oven roasted vegetables make for a beautifully rustic presentation whether the veggies are placed onto a serving platter or enjoyed directly from the sheet pan they were roasted on.

How to Roast Vegetables

Preparing delicious roasted vegetables is as simple as turning on the oven, tossing the veggies with a few ingredients, and then roasting them off.

Sound easy? It is!

Here's my roasted vegetables recipe at a glance:

1. To prepare my vegetables of choice, I start by washing and peeling them (I leave the skin on the baby potatoes), and then cut them into desired sizes.
2. Next, I toss my vegetable medley with good quality olive oil, plus some sea salt and black pepper, and the dried herbs of my choice.
3. Then, I turn the seasoned veggies out onto my prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment paper), and roast at 400° for about 45 minutes.
4. To finish, I garnish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, and serve on a platter or directly from the sheet pan.

(My full recipe is below...)

Tips & Tidbits for Roasted Vegetables:

• Your favorite combo of veggies, or only one of a kind: While this recipe calls for a combination of vegetables, you could certainly only use only one kind, or even two kinds, and follow the same method. Choose the ones that you enjoy best!
• Happy seasonings: Dried herbs such as thyme, parsley, rosemary, and tarragon are perfect for roasted vegetables, and you can use a combination of all of these, or even just one. Other tasty add-ins to use when roasting veggies are balsamic or red wine vinegar (a couple of teaspoons) or Dijon mustard.
• Tasty finishing touches: You can finish the vegetables with fresh herbs, micro greens, or even chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios or sliced almonds. You can also drizzle over a hint of honey for sweetness.
• High oven temp: Set your oven temp to 400°, as this will help the vegetables to caramelize just a bit and add flavor!

Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:

Recipe

Roasted Vegetables

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This colorful medley of roasted vegetables is a healthy addition to your meal, or even a delicious snack fresh out of the oven!

Category: Side
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 144 calories

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 medium rutabagas, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 yellow baby potatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or chopped rosemary leaves

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

-Add the cut veggies into a large bowl, and add in the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the onion powder; toss to coat, and turn out the veggies onto the baking sheet, and roast for about 45 minutes, or until the veggies are golden and tender.

-Sprinkle over the fresh thyme leaves (or rosemary), spoon into a serving dish (if using), and enjoy!

Craving more roasted veggie recipes? Check out these Roasted Tomatoes, these Roasted Carrots, or this Roasted Beet Salad!