When I work with clients doing nutrition counseling, I tend to do a lot of nutrition and culinary education. After all, what good are vegetables if you don’t know why you should be eating (more of) them, which ones to pick, and how to prepare them so they actually taste delicious? In the past week, I heard different versions of this same statement at least 5 times from clients: I think vegetables are okay but I don’t know how to make them taste good and get sick of eating the same ones over and over again! Sound familiar?
If you’re reading this, you’re in luck. Vegetables are not only loaded with vitamins and minerals, they are also packed with phytonutrients like ellagic acid, flavinoids, allicin, and carotenoids to name just a few. I could write 20+ posts on the benefits of eating plenty of vegetables but today I want to share with you a very simple, easy, quick, and delicious way to prepare vegetables to help you eat more of them- roast them in the oven! Roasting brings out the complex and delicious flavors of vegetables and turns boring or sometimes bitter veggies into incredible edibles.
Here are some ideas for vegetables to roast: carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kohlrabi, winter squashes like butternut, acorn and delicata, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, parsnips, fennel, etc.
How to Roast Vegetables
Ingredients:
Vegetables to roast, prepped and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks (single veggie or combo)
1 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, lightly coat all veggies (amount depends on quantity of vegetables)
Herbs, spices, or minced garlic, to taste (optional, your choice depending on vegetables)
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare all vegetables and put in large bowl.
- Toss vegetable chunks with oil, herbs/spices/garlic, sea salt, and pepper.
- Pour in single layer onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or into lightly oiled 13 x 9″ pan.
- Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven briefly and stir vegetables in pan.
- Continue roasting vegetables until tender, often 10 to 15 minutes more (or 30-45 minutes total).
This recipe or formula works for all of the vegetables mentioned above. However, if you’d like some specific instructions for certain vegetables, here are some recipes from my blog:
- Balsamic Roasted Beets
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Kohlrabi with Garlic
Enjoy roasting and eating more veggies! What is your favorite vegetable or combo to roast? Share in the comments below!
