Easy Roasted Vegetables

I’ve been slightly obsessed with roasting vegetables lately.  And since my promise to you has always been to share what our family is actually eating, I figured I ought to share.  We’ve been eating roasted veggies along with all kinds of things:   With fish, steak, garden burgers, or just on their own as leftovers for lunch. (Mmmmm)

Roasted veggies are so easy, and so, so  good.

I think most kids appreciate roasted veggies, especially if you nail the whole slightly-crispy, plenty-of- salt thing.  Roasting can turn a boring piece of broccoli into irresistible finger-food, and I’m not even exaggerating (I had to bat my boys hands away just so I could take these pictures.)

All you need are veggies, (almost any veggie can roast up nicely) a mild oil, (I use olive oil but I think avocado or coconut oil would be great, too) and salt and pepper.  I love a bit of rosemary and thyme, so I give a generous sprinkling of each of those as well.

The only minorly-tricky thing about roasted veggies is how long to cook them if you want to roast a variety of veggies at the same time.  I found this article over at The Kitchn site to be super helpful on many levels, but as for cooking times, they had two suggestions:  Either roast two separate sheets of vegetables — one for harder vegetables that require longer cooking times, and one for those that don’t need as much time.  OR, roast your veggies in stages…As in, begin with the harder veggies, and fifteen minutes in, add the carrots and broccoli, and then near the end toss on the thinner veggies that will cook quickly.

The other great reminder from the article is to use a big enough baking sheet to leave some space between the veggies.  (Another option is to divide them onto two sheets to bake more evenly.)  As you can see from my pics, my baking sheet was pretty fully-loaded…almost too packed.  Keeping some space in there allows the veggies to really get crisp and “roasted” as opposed to more of a steaming-effect if they are close together.

The best tips I have are to cut the vegetables into fairly uniform size, and then to toss them in the oil and seasonings before placing them on a baking sheet.  This coats them evenly, and will help you avoid them swimming in too much oil, or being too dry.    Also, check them about every 10-15 minutes.  They’re done when a fork goes into them easily, but for best flavor — keep cooking until you see crispy edges on the vegetables.  🙂  Also:  Don’t be afraid to douse ’em with more S & P before you serve them!

Hope you love them, and please share with your friends using social media share buttons, below! (thanks!)

Also, just a reminder:  I love to hear from you in comments!  🙂

Aloha, and see you soon!
Monica

PS  more veggie ideas?  These quinoa quinoa veggie bites  are so yummy (and a great way to use up leftover quinoa.)  Also, these burrito bowls these burrito bowls are delicious with roasted veggies!