Oven Roasted Winter Vegetables

roasted-winter-vegetables-raw

As much as I love grilling vegetables in the summer, I love roasting their winter counter parts even more. Honesty, I can’t think of a more perfect way to eat my vegetables. Root vegetables were meant to be roasted. The simple process of oven roasting brings out the sweetness in the veggies and really intensifies the flavor. A little olive oil and salt and pepper is all you really need.

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While steamed vegetables have their time ….or at least I think they do, nothing can replace the beautiful caramelization and browning that happens when you roast the vegetables at a high temperature.
They are so easy to prepare and it’s a great excuse to turn your oven on for an hour on a cold winters evening. This basic recipe is easily adapted to use whatever vegetables you have on hand and feel free to play around with different herb and spice combinations. Root vegetables that work well roasting are: winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, whole garlic cloves, brussels sprouts, carrots, fennel, parsnips, turnips, and celery root. For this recipe I used butternut squash, fennel, red onion, sweet potato, and red potatoes.

Happy cooking!

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Oven Roasted Winter Vegetables


Description

A medley of root vegetables roasted to bring out the natural sweetness and glory. A little olive oil, salt and pepper is all you need here. Try these atop a bed of greens for a hearty winter salad.


Ingredients

  • 8 cups diced winter vegetables of your choice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 23 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
  2. Cut the vegetables 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don’t cut them too small.
  3. Place vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and chopped garlic; toss well.
  4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once.
  5. Remove from oven and serve either warm or at room temperature.