Roasting a big tray of veggies is a great way to save time in the kitchen, create a base for healthier snacks and meals and use up veggies when you have too many or that are past their prime. Roast up a tray or two when you have time and use them in recipes all week. Roasting veggies helps them last a bit longer in the fridge and brings out a milder, sweeter flavour that even picky eaters might like! Select them for a recipe you have in mind or randomly use up whatever happens to be your fridge. So flexible.
Super Simple Roasting Guide
Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Pick your veggies, divide them into longer and shorter cooking vegetables (see below), and cut them into bite-sized pieces (1/2"-1") depending on the vegetable. For each cup of veggies, toss with 1 teaspoon of olive, avocado or melted coconut oil and season with sea salt and pepper.
Put the longer cooking veggies on a tray and roast them for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and give them a quick stir. Add the shorter cooking veggies to the same tray or onto a second tray and roast everything for another 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are golden brown. Watch the oven during the last few minutes to make sure nothing is burning. Remove the veggies, let them cool slightly. They are ready to eat, use in a recipe or pack up into the fridge or freezer for later use.
Longer Cooking Veggies - 30 minutes
* Cauliflower
* Brussels Sprouts
* Fennel
* Garlic
* Potatoes
* Roots: Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Parsnips, Rutabagas, Kohlrabi
* Onions
* Sweet Potatoes
* Winter Squashes: Butternut, Acorn, Pumpkin, Kabocha
Shorter Cooking Veggies - 10-15 minutes
* Asparagus
* Bell Peppers
* Broccoli
* Cabbage Wedges
* Cherry Tomatoes
* Eggplant
* Leeks
* Mushrooms
* Summer Squash: Zucchini, Yellow Squash
*Times can vary, depending on the size and freshness of the vegetable.
What to Make with Roasted Veggies
The options really, are only limited by your imagination, but here's a few ideas to get you going!
* On a platter with your favourite dip - hummus, guacamole, tzatziki, aioli, ranch
* In tacos, fajitas or burritos
* In an omelette, egg scramble or breakfast burrito
* On pizza or pasta
* In a salad - green, greek, pasta, quinoa, rice, bean, chickpea, lentil...
* In your favourite Buddha or Glory Bowl
* Mixed into fried rice
* In a sandwich or wrap
* Added to soups
* Pureed into dips, sauces and soups
* As a perfect side dish to basically anything!
Happy Roasting!
To Peel or Not to Peel? I typically don't peel organic, soft peel veggies as there are so many great nutrients in those peels. If dirty: scrub. If grubby: then peel.