We’re all told that we need to eat lots of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet, but actually finding enjoyable ways to incorporate these vegetables can be difficult.
In this post I am going to provide a basic step-by-step method of my favorite way to prepare vegetables and add them into my weekly meals: roasting. My hope is that in reading this post you will be able to see vegetables as an exciting and approachable part of your diet, and that you would feel inspired to experiment with this basic layout!
1) Choose your vegetables
- There are multiple approaches one could take to choosing which vegetables to roast. Different vegetables may work better than others depending on the season, dish, occasion, or nutrients goal they are for.
- My favorite vegetables to roast are carrots, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. Other amazing choices are red bell peppers, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, broccoli, asparagus, and beets.
2) Wash, dry, and chop
- Unless you are purchasing your vegetables pre-cut and pre-washed, it is very important to wash your produces to prevent foodborne iillness
- Make sure to dry the outside of your vegetables completely after washing as the presence of water will not allow the the oilve oil to coat the vegetables
- Chop your vegeteables into pieces
3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- I like to cook my vegetables at 400 degrees Farenheit. I find this to be a good temperature to cook the vegetables all of the way through without burning them on the outside.
- Anywhere from about 372-425 degrees Farenheit should work!
4) Tray
- Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or tin foil (this makes clean up a lot easier). Spread the chopped vegetables out evenly across the baking sheet ensuring that there is some space between vegetables and that none of them are overlapping too much.
5) Toss in olive oil
- I recommend about 2 tablespoons of olive oil for each sheet of vegetables. Add the oil directly to the spread out vegetables and then toss them with your hands on the sheet pan, ensuring that they all get coated.
- Once coated, spread the vegetables back out into an even layer across the sheet.
6) Add seasoning/ flavors
- This is the fun part! Here you get to pick the direction to take your vegetables. A safe and neutral option which I return to often is salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Some other ideas of flavor additions are Italian seasonings, Mexican seasonings, herbs like thyme and rosemary, or minced garlic.
- I like to add the spices and flavorings after they are oiled and evenly spread so that I can see the amount of seasoning going onto each vegetable. An alternative would be to add the seasonings when you add the olive oil.
7) Bake
- I always start my vegetables at 25 minutes in the oven. After 25 minutes I will check the vegetables by poking them with a fork and testing their tenderness. If they need more time, I will stick them back in the oven and check on them again anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes later.
- Things to look for to know when your vegetables are done are that you will begin to smell them, they will look slightly crispy or browned on their surface, and they will be tender and soft when poked with a fork.
8) Enjoy!
Simple Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps Olive oil
- 5 cups Chopped vegetables Can be any vegetables!
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Seasonings Garlic powder, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Wash and thoroughly dry the vegetables
- Chop your vegetables into evenly sized pieces and tray them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil
- Cover the vegetables with the olive oil and toss them on the pan to ensure they are evenly coated
- Sprinkle the seasonings on top of the vegetables
- Bake the vegetables for about 25-35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and soft when poked with a fork.
- Serve the vegetables as part of a dish right away or save them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.