Basic Roasted Vegetable Recipe

Simple Vegetarian Cooking: Easy Delicious Roasted Vegetable Recipe

Roasted Vegetables: Simple, easy, delicious way to cook veggies - e.g. cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots & beets.

Roasted veggies are like fries, only tastier, healthier, and oven-cooked. They take longer to cook, but the deep, hearty flavor is heavenly!

Total Prep & Cook Time: 10 minutes - 1 hour.

Yield: As many servings as will fit in your oven

Printable Recipe: Click the printer icon on your browser to print JUST the recipe

To make roasted vegetables you need:

• Any roastable vegetable or combination from the list below
• An Oven: any oven, as long as it can maintain a steady temperature for up to 1 hour
• Roasting pan or casserole: Or anything ovenproof, even foil wrap & cookie sheet.
• Herbs & Spices: e.g. Salt, pepper, thyme, savory, sage, rosemary, basil, curry spice, garlic. You don't need to use them all at once, but they're good to have on hand
• Heat Tolerant Oil: You can dry roast veggies, but a little bit of oil conducts heat, seals in the juices, and browns evenly.
• Cutting Board: Get a decent sized board (12 x 18 inches at least). Plastic is inexpensive, easy to clean, doesn't warp, goes in the dishwasher. Wood or bamboo is classier & greener, but must be oiled regularly, plus washed & dried right after use.

• Chef's Knife: Highly recommend. A good sharp knife makes veggie chopping a pleasure, a dull one makes it difficult and dangerous. The Victoranox chef's knife is highly rated, costs about $30, no need to spend more. How to Use a Chef's Knife
• Knife Sharpener: Dull knives aren't safe or effective.

Sample Roasting Veggies

• Asparagus, whole stems, trim off tough ends
• Beets, cut in 1 inch wedges or chunks
• Broccoli, peel stems, cut in 1 inch pieces, cut florettes into 2 inch pieces
• Brussels sprouts, stems removed, halved
• Carrots, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces, straight or diagonal
• Cauliflower, cut in 2 inch pieces

• Garlic, whole heads, peeled, tops removed, coated with oil
• Green beans, whole young tender green beans, trimmed
• Onions, peeled, quartered or thickly sliced
• Parsnips, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
• Peppers, halves or quarters, seeded
• Potatoes, peeled or not, cut in 1 inch wedges or chunks
• Tomatoes, firm, seeded, cut in quarters or small whole
• Sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 inch wedges
• Turnips or rutabagas, cut in 1 inch wedges or chunks
• Zucchini or summer squash, 1 x 3 inch pieces

Directions

1. Roast veggies alone, or in combinations depending on their cooking time, flavor, color etc
2. Vary the sizes and shapes to increase or decrease the cooking time
3. Asparagus is best alone
4. Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and brussels sprouts go well together
5. Summer squashes, tomatoes, tender green beans and peppers go together
6. Root veggies: carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes cook in about the same amount of time
7. Beets should be roasted separately from other root veggies and combined after cooking
8. Preheat oven to 400 - 450 degrees (higher temp for quicker cooking veg)
9. Cut veggies and spread in a roasting pan or casserole dish
10. Sprinkle or spray with oil, salt and pepper, and stir to coat
11. Place pan in the middle of the oven, and set a timer for 10 minutes
12. After 10 minutes, turn the veggies and set timer for another 5 minutes
13. Asparagus and other tender veggies need about 7 minutes total roasting time and careful attention
14. Hard long cooking root veg cook more thoroughly and evenly if they are cooked covered for 20 - 30 minutes, then roasted
15. If veggies are brown but not cooked through, cover and reduce heat to 375 degrees until a sharp knife slides through easily
16. Sprinkle herbs and other seasonings in the last few minutes of cooking
17. Roasted vegetables are delicious served with any grain or pasta dish, sauce or gravy

Your comments & questions help improve our recipes, so don't be shy! Contact Us