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Roasted vegetables are a favorite around here – I roast broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, onions, tomatoes. Roasting intensifies the flavors and the vegetables actually caramelize and become slightly sweet. And, they’re naturally sugar free and gluten free. Gotta love that!
Since it’s Holiday Food Fest, I wanted to share with you one of our favorite ways to make ordinary vegetables special.
I have never been a big fan of green bean casserole or layered salads. I am probably the only one in my family who feels this way, but hey, it’s just not me. Some people look forward to those dishes all year long. I look forward to winter veggies at the height of the season – when they’re freshest and taste their best. Not that I don’t eat them the rest of the year, because I do. But they’re especially delicious this time of year.
I like to make enough to have leftovers – they add a heartiness and depth to salads that I just love.
A note about the brussel sprouts – they cook faster than the rest of the vegetables. I like them a little crispy for contrast. If you don’t, just throw them in about 15 minutes into the cooking time.
What foods do you look forward to eating all year?
Reminders:
Make sure to Shirley’s place today for Holiday Food Fest – we’re linking up Holiday Dishes. If you don’t have a dish to link up, that’s just fine. At least stop by, check out what everyone else is making, and say hello. All participants will be entered to win a bottle of Tropical Tradition’s Organic Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.
Tomorrow I’m posting part 2 of Chicken Breasts: A Preparation Tutorial. In case you missed part one, it’s here. Come back to see how I eat well and save time by ‘freezer’ marinating my chicken.
This post is linked to Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Finer Things Friday.
This recipe is adapted from Everyday Food.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 of a medium acorn squash, seeded and cut into 1 inch slices
- 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch wedges
- 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and halved – quarter them if they’re really large
- 1/4 pound shallots, peeled and halved
- 10 brussel sprouts, tough stem trimmed and halved
- 8 cloves of garlic, left unpeeled
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 4 – 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet large enough to accommodate all of the vegetable in a single layer with heavy duty aluminum foil. If you need to use two baking sheets, that’s okay. Just rotate them halfway through the baking time.
- Lightly oil the baking sheets. Place the prepared vegetables on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Toss lightly to coat. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until vegetables have reached desired tenderness and have browned slightly, stirring halfway through.
- If you want to make these ahead of time, store in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
Enjoy!
Lauren
posted on December 9, 2009 at 10:06 pm
This looks very comforting – exactly what I look for in any winter dish!
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Jennifer
posted on December 10, 2009 at 1:16 am
Oh man. I do love the green bean casserole. I missed it at Thanksgiving this year.
I needed this reminder, I am so boring when it comes to how I serve veggies. I usually just steam them. My family loves tomatoes but I’ve never roasted them. I will try it.
Thanks so much. You have inspired me again.
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Amy Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 8:34 am
@Jennifer, You can roast tomatoes at a lower temp for a longer period of time which really makes them sweet, or you can roast them at a higher temp for a shorter period of time. Just depends on what you want the flavor to be. They’re great both ways. I do take the seeds out because they can get bitter.
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Liz@HoosierHomemade
posted on December 10, 2009 at 7:52 am
What a great way to change up Holiday Sides. Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
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Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
posted on December 10, 2009 at 9:08 am
I love roasted veggies! This dish has always been a staple in my kitchen through fall and winter. I love playing with the seasonings and spices to mix it up a little!
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Alta
posted on December 10, 2009 at 9:43 am
I love your mix of veggies here! Especially the turnips and parsnips, those are some of my favorites. Yum.
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MaryMoh
posted on December 10, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I always love roasted vegetables. It has a natural sweetness of its own and very healthy too. Easy cooking too.
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Fayinagirl
posted on December 10, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Oh yum! Roasted veggies are way up there on my comfort food list. =)
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carrie
posted on December 10, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Simply YUM Amy!! We love roasted veggies too!
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Natasha - 5 Star Foodie
posted on December 10, 2009 at 4:57 pm
A great mix of winter veggies and they are so perfect roasted, this is a wonderful side dish for any meal!
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Denise
posted on December 10, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Roasted veggies appear regularly around here! It’s a meal that satisfies my vegetarian husband and athletic kids. This time of year, we look forward to adding squash, sweet potatoes and root veggies to the main players. Yum!
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gfe--gluten free easily
posted on December 10, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I really love roasted vegetables. So healthy and naturally sweet from the roasting process as you say. Healthy, but excellent entry for the Holiday Food Fest, Amy! We need these types of dishes to balance out the excess that often happens over the holidays.
Shirley
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Amy @ Finer Things
posted on December 13, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Shhh, don’t tell. I don’t think I’ve ever roasted veggies! Potatoes, maybe, but that’d be it. This sounds delish.
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Morgan
posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:07 am
Made this last night and they were delish! My girls (2 & 5) gobbled them up! I didn’t have the turnips so I just used more brussels sprouts. I also peeled the garlic but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Thanks for this great recipe!
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