Roasted Vegetables

Ever since I learned about roasting vegetables maybe 8 years ago (it’s impossible to think that I never roasted a vegetable before then!), I’ve been roasting all the vegetables. I’m obsessed with eating my veggies, and this is such an easy, quick, brainless way to get a side of vegetables in. Besides, what’s not to love about little caramelized vegetable bits coated in olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper? James and I probably roast some vegetables with our dinner 70% of the time. They take absolutely minimal prep, and then you just stick them in the oven, set a timer, and forget about them. Plus roasting has introduced me to completely new vegetables, and reinvented boring old ones – roasted carrots are heaven on earth. All of our roasted vegetables follow a basic process described here.

Carrots

Zucchini

Brussels sprouts

Some tips that I have learned:

1. For best results, pat the vegetables dry with paper towels and do not crowd them – make sure air can circulate around each piece. The drier the vegetable, the better it’ll crisp up and form a nice char from the roasting pan. I usually prep the vegetables as the first or second thing I do during cooking, then just let the vegetables air dry a bit while I’m prepping other things. If the vegetables are wet, they’ll steam instead of roast. Similarly, if they’re too crowded, they’ll also steam from the moisture evaporating from neighboring vegetable pieces. Steaming means you’ll end up with softer, mushier vegetables. Crowding the vegetables are often something I am guilty of, because I am lazy and I want to cook a whole bunch of vegetables but wash only one baking sheet. Life is choices.
2. To turn or not to turn? Turning vegetables about halfway throughout the roasting process ensures that vegetables brown evenly on all sides. I, however, have begun more and more to skip this step as I am lazy (this seems to be a recurring theme…) and often otherwise occupied. So, my vegetables tend to be extra caramelized and brown on one side, but still bright and green or orange on the other. I like this contrast, and don’t think it deters from the texture or taste. If you are after more even browning, give the vegetables a toss or a turn about halfway through the cooking time.
3. Temperature. I fudge this a lot. Usually I roast everything at 400°F with good results, but if my oven has to do double duty, I usually defer to the temperature of whatever else I’m cooking, as vegetables are less fussy. So I’ve roasted vegetables pretty much anywhere between 350°F and adding more roasting time (vegetables not as crisp, slightly mushier) to 450°F and subtracting roasting time (danger of burning / cooking unevenly). Just keep an eye on the veggies, taste regularly for doneness, and they’ll be okay.
4. I usually just eyeball the amount of oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll want to drizzle the oil over all of the vegetables after spreading them out on the baking sheet. Salt liberally – I sprinkle salt all over the vegetables, making sure I’ve hit every piece. After you’ve mixed everything together, oil should be coating every vegetable piece in an even layer. More delicate vegetables like asparagus or zucchini require less oil, but hardier vegetables with florets like broccoli or cauliflower have more surface area, and thus require more oil. It should sort of feel like you’re rubbing massage oil onto the vegetables – an even coating is good, but too much is not necessary!
5. Bored with salt and pepper? Some other seasonings I love: crushed red pepper, cumin, crushed Szechuan peppercorns.

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Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

• Vegetables (Favorites: brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini)
• Good quality olive oil
• Good quality sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. See note about temperature above.

2. Wash vegetables and trim any tough ends, stems, or stalks away. Cut into bite size pieces. For asparagus, I usually halve them. For brussels sprouts, keep those leaves that fall off when you trim the sprouts! They roast up into the crispiest, most wonderful little chips.

3. Spread vegetables out on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper. Good quality olive oil, salt, and pepper matter here, as they are often the only seasonings I use. Mix with your hands and ensure that all pieces are coated with olive oil and seasonings.

4. Roast for 10-25 minutes. Time will depend on the kind of vegetable and size of the vegetable piece. Here are some recommended times for my favorite vegetables:

   Asparagus: 10-12 minutes

   Zucchini: 15-18 minutes

   Brussels sprouts: 15-20 minutes, depending on size

   Broccoli: 20-25 minutes

   Cauliflower: 20-25 minutes

   Carrots: 20-25 minutes