Roasted Vegetables are the ticket to my heart, and are an easy yet flavorful side dish that even the most novice cook can whip up!
Just get home from a long day at work or school, with no brainpower left to craft up a creative dinner from scratch?
Have a couple sprigs of asparagus and half a head of cauliflower that are both on their last leg of life in your fridge?
Love making side dishes that come with an easy clean up?
Enjoy delicious food?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then you’ll love the recipe I’ve got for you today!
If you’ve been following me for a while, either on Instagram or this blog, then you probably know that I have a soft spot in my heart for roasted vegetables. Brussels, sweet potato, onion, carrots, asparagus, caulifower — you name it, I’ve probably roasted it. Whether I’m dog tired from a full day of interning, trying to use up every last veggie in the fridge (#noveggieleftbehind), or want to minimize the post-dinner clean-up process, a big pan of roasted veggies is my go-to.
I’ve been questioned a handful of times on how I roast my veggies or on what recipe I use, so I’m finally getting around to creating an actual blogpost on it so more people can benefit from the goodness that is roasted veggies.
The method is actually super simple: throw whatever you’ve got in the fridge on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss it in some extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, sprinkle with whatever spices you’ve got on hand, and throw in the oven at 400* for 25-30 minutes. The final step is my favorite step, and that is to eat it.
I love to make a huge pan, and I mean HUGE pan, of roasted veggies on Sunday night to have for part of my lunches and dinners throughout the week. It’s so easy to scoop out a portion to throw on top of a salad for lunch, or heat up a portion as an easy side for dinner. There’s just something so satisfying in knowing that even though I don’t have a bunch of time on my hands, I can still have a nutritious and well-rounded meal prepared in 0.44 seconds, or somewhere around there. Recently I’ve even been incorporating roasted veggies into my breakfast menu, like when I had it with some scrambled eggs and avocado!
Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s not only easy, but super, super versatile. Whether you’re switching up the veggies or the spices and seasonings, you can always come up with a new creation and new flavor profile to beat tastebud boredom. My spice rack is loaded with options like ground pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, turmeric, italian seasoning, and ground ginger to liven up my dishes and pans of roasted veggies. More often than not however, I usually just default to a couple classic combinations of mine, but there are so many other combinations to choose from — I recently talked to one of the dietitian’s I’m interning with and she suggested allspice!
What are my “classic combinations” of roasted vegetables?
– Brussels sprouts, asparagus, onions with ground pepper, garlic powder, pinch of sea salt
– Sweet potatoes with ground pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, pinch of sea salt
– Cauliflower with ground pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, pinch of sea salt
– Carrots with ground pepper, ground ginger, pinch of sea salt, drizzle of honey
If you need some ideas to get you start, I suggest trying some of my classic combinations above, seeing what you think, and playing around with different flavors to see what best suits you!
- 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped
- Sea salt and pepper, as desired
- Garlic powder, as desired
- Onion powder, as desired
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and chop all produce.
- Add chopped veggies to a large mixing bowl. Add in oil, toss to coat. Add desired amount of seasonings and spices, tossing again to coat with spices. Transfer veggies to baking sheet, making sure not to overcrowd – leave some room for them to breathe and crisp up! You may wish to roast the veggies in two batches.
- Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Allow to cool, and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- I included my favorite asparagus, sweet potatoes and broccoli in this simple base recipe of roasted vegetables, but the recipe is easy to tailor to your individual likes, flavor preferences, and whatever veggies you've got on hand! Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to make a huge batch for the week
I really hope this post title was a reference to the office episode when Michael roasts everyone… that’s my all time favorite office scene, ever.
BOOM ROASTED