How to Roast Vegetables: 7 Secrets to Making Perfect Roasted Vegetables Every Time

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Growng up, there were pretty much three ways that my famly ate vegetables: steamed, sauteed, or raw n salads. And whle I usually ate the vegetables put n front of me, I often found them to be qute bland and was always thrlled when there was a sauce (especally f t was a cheese sauce) to go over them. When I became a mom, however, and one of my sons showed absolutely no nterest n really any vegetable, except raw carrots, I knew I had to try somethng new.

As I researched ways to make vegetables more appealng to kds, one of the answers that came up over and over agan was to roast your vegetables. Curous, I decded to gve roasted broccol a try and the results were mraculous! Not only dd I thnk t tasted tremendous, but my pcky son guzzled them down.

But why would a kd turn hs nose up at crunchy steamed or sauteed broccol but nhale roasted broccol? I wanted to learn more. 

Roasted Vegetables: A Entry Pont for Pcky Eaters

To understand why kds tend to prefer roasted vegetables to other vegetables we have to start wth a lesson on evoluton. If you have ever spent tme wth kds you lkely notced that they tend to prefer sweet foods to sour or btter foods. Whle we may thnk that ths s due to the Western det or our falures as parents, t s actually what kds’ bodes have been pre-programmed to prefer.

Scentsts have two theores as to why ths s true. One theory s that kds are bologcally programmed to seek out energy-rch (read: sweet) foods because those are the foods that helped them to grow and survve, especally durng tmes when food was scarce.

Another s that ths genetc programmng s a protectve mechansm desgned to keep chldren away from toxc berres and plants that tend to have btter or sour flavor profles. That’s rght, the preference for sweet was desgned to keep them safe.

Ths means that when feedng a kd (or adult!) who s dubous about eatng hs/her vegetables, optng for the sweetest preparaton (roastng them) may prove worthwhle.

What Vegetables Can You Roast?

Wth the excepton of leafy green vegetables lke spnach, you can roast pretty much any vegetable wth success. (Quck note: the excepton to the leafy green vegetable rule s obvously kale chps, but because kale s more delcate, some of the rules of roastng vegetables I lay out below don’t apply. Please check out my kale chp recpe for the best way to prepare ths other kd favorte.)

Some of my favorte roastng vegetables nclude:

carrots and parsnps broccol caulflower potatoes sweet potatoes Brussels sprouts onons green beans okra beets fennel wnter squashes (delcata, butternut, etc.)

When done rght, roastng any of these vegetables makes them perfectly crsp on the outsde, tender on the nsde, and a lttle bt sweet from the caramelzaton n the oven. It’s the best way to get your famly to eat – and love – ther vegetables.

Spces and Flavors to Add to Your Roast Vegetables

Whle usng just a lttle bt of ol and salt s a delcous and successful way to roast your vegetables, there are optonal add-ns that can make your roasted vegetables even more specal. Here are some of my favorte spces and flavors to add to my roasted vegetables:

Before roastng:

chl powder for a smokey, slghtly spcy garam masala or curry powder for an Indan-nspred spn dll cnnamon (especally on sweet potatoes) crushed red pepper or cayenne for a kck

After roastng:

Parmesan cheese feta cheese chopped fresh herbs a squeeze of lemon ranch or blue cheese dp

How to Eat Roasted Vegetables

Whle most of the tme you wll lkely enjoy roasted vegetables just as they are, there are many other wonderful ways you can ncorporate them nto your meals. Here are some of the ways that my famly loves to enjoy roasted vegetables.

As a component n salads

Add roasted vegetables to green salads, gran salads, and pasta salads for a fantastc flavor boost.

Added to egg dshes

Str leftover roasted vegetables nto your next batch of scrambled eggs, ncorporate them nto omelets, or add them to frttatas.

As an ngredent on buld-a-meal nghts

If your famly loves buld-a-meal nghts, such as bean-and-rce-bowls or tacos, consder addng roasted vegetables as an opton. Ths s an especally good use of leftover roasted vegetables from a prevous dnner.

Added to burrtos and chmchangas

Ths s probably my favorte way to use up leftover roasted vegetables. I roll them nto breakfast and dnner burrtos and chmchangas any chance I get. My kds never complan and I feel good about the extra dose of vegges they are gettng wthout even thnkng about t.

How to Roast Vegetables: 7 Secrets to Makng Perfect Roasted Vegetables

Use a rmmed bakng sheet. You can use parchment paper or fol on pan for easer cleanup, but t’s not necessary. Use hgh heat (450) and roast n the center of the oven. Cut the vegetables nto even peces. The smaller they are, the faster they wll cook. Don’t crowd the vegetables—spread them evenly and gve them a lttle space (I often use two bakng sheets). Toss wth ol (1 – 2 Tbsp. for 1 lb. of vegetables) and salt (1/4 – 1/2 tsp.) (plus other seasonngs f desred) n a bowl or drectly on the pan wth your hands. If you use a bowl, you can use the same bowl for servng. You can also add an acd lke vnegar or fresh lemon juce. Toss once 2/3 of the way through OR skp the flp by preheatng the bakng sheets along wth the oven. That way, the vegetables are exposed to the hot bakng sheet and wll mmedately get that nce caramelzaton you are hopng for. (Tp: If you do decde to flp them, remove the bakng sheet from the oven and close the oven door whle tossng so t doesn’t lose heat.) Cook untl the vegetables are browned on the outsde, tender n the mddle, 15 – 25 mnutes dependng on vegetable and sze of peces.

Enjoy them mmedately or let the roasted vegetables cool and refrgerate them for up to 3 days.

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Lookng for more cookng nspraton, check out The Scramble’s famly-frendly meal plans to see just how smple gettng dnner on the table can be!