Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted Root Vegetables are easy to make and are an absolutely delicious way to enjoy all the winter veggies! You’ll love the caramelized bits from roasting in the oven, and the versatility of spices you can add! An ultimate vegetable side dish winner!

If you never thought you’d get excited about winter vegetables, think again. Oven roasting root vegetables turns them into something magical. They become slightly caramelized, bringing out their sweetness within.

They make a delicious and hearty side dish to the most comforting of meals – from baked rosemary salmon to green bean and wild rice casserole, to roasted chicken, there are so many delicious pairings for this vegetable side dish! They can even be thrown into a vegetable soup!

The Ingredients

The beauty of roasting root vegetables is that you can mix and match the varieties you use.

There truly is no right or wrong way to go about this. So if you see a veggie you can’t find, don’t want, or can’t stand, then skip it. If you absolutely love a root vegetable I didn’t add, use it!

Wait, what are root vegetables?

Ok, before we get into the ingredients we should cover what root vegetables are. Root vegetables are simply the underground plant parts that we eat. The vegetables that grow in the ground. That’s it!

Here’s the blend I love and use most. It’s full of variety, textures, and flavors!

• Carrots – a classic root vegetable, and what isn’t there to love about cooked carrots?! Make it a vibrant mix and use rainbow carrots!
• Parsnip – carrots cousin (or maybe even more closely related?!), parsnips are similar in size and texture to carrots. They have a light color – almost white. Their flavor is quite complex; they’re earthy, starchy, sweet like carrots, and a little like a turnip, too.
• Sweet Potato – I love a hearty sweet potato thrown into the mix! You could also use any sort of potato you like.
• Onion – red or yellow, it doesn’t matter, throw an onion in the mix for an added punch of flavor!
• Turnip – white in color with a purple-ish top, they’re similar looking to beets, yet larger. When roasted they become sweet, nutty, and earthy.
• Garlic – you know I love me some roasted garlic, so of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add it to this mix. Use as many or as few cloves as you’d like. You can even go ahead and roast the whole bulb of garlic.

How to Roast Vegetables

This is just so easy (!!!). I’m so excited to share this with you, especially if you’re new to the world of roasting veggies – or specifically root veggies. It’s not only easy, but it’s basically a sheet pan dinner!

The first thing to do is to peel and chop the vegetables. I don’t always peel certain veggies – like carrots, for example. I just clean them well and chop them up. I also like to leave the skin on my sweet potatoes for added fiber, but you can of course peel as desired, too.

The most important thing to note is that the vegetables should be chopped into roughly the same size for even cooking.

If the sweet potato is chopped much larger than the turnip, for example, it won’t cook at the same rate, which will mean one is overdone and the other is too crunchy. No good.

So let’s work on making them as even as possible. But no, this doesn’t mean you have to stress about each and every piece. Just take a look – mine are similar but definitely not exact.

After they’re chopped, the next thing to do is to drizzle them with olive oil and toss with any additional spices you want to use.

Then, pop them in a hot oven to roast, caramelized, and do their thing. You’ll want to toss them about halfway through the cooking process to allow multiple sides of the veggies to get caramelized.

Spices to Use

There are so many spice variations to use with roasted vegetables! Mix and match the spices to accompany what you’ll serve them alongside.

I love using fresh thyme and rosemary when paired with winter meals. Cayenne pepper and cumin are also welcomed additions when gearing up for a more bold, spicy dinner. Cinnamon makes for a warm, cozy side dish.

Herbs de Provence is a fun delicious twist to the veggies, too, adding so much flavor. You can throw in a bit of onion or garlic powder, too, if you so desire.

The best part is that roasting vegetables is kind of like a blank slate. Yes, play off of the sweetness that comes with many root vegetables, but overall you can mix and match and make it exactly what you want it to be!

Serving Ideas

Once the veggies are cooked through, you can toss them with additional fresh herbs if you’d like (as I mentioned, thyme and rosemary are delish).

You can serve them with an herby tahini sauce, and serve them in root vegetable bowls, alongside stuffed mushrooms or skillet chicken. They’re also delicious topped on a fresh salad.

And once you get the hang of basic roasted vegetables, you’ll be roasting everything from broccolini, to tomato sauce, and getting cozy with a maple pecan glaze. I did mention endless possibilities, right?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!