The days are shorter and sweater weather is here. Our taste buds are switching from the light vegetables of summer to the heavier vegetables of autumn to help us get ready for colder weather.
Autumn vegetables require a little more cooking time than our summer veggies and I’m not one to hang out in the kitchen for too long.
My goal is quick, easy and tasty.
I’ve found that roasting vegetables is a great way to keep their delicious flavor and keep my time in the kitchen short and sweet.
What’s even sweeter, is to prep your veggies on the weekend, slicing, chopping and storing them in separate containers in the fridge, and you’ll be ready for some quick and easy roasting.
When choosing which vegetables to roast, make sure they have similar cook times. Nothing is worse than opening the oven to discover mush next to not quite ready vegetables.
Here’s some steps for roasting your favorite autumn vegetables…
Turn up the oven
When roasting your veggies, you’ll want to turn the oven up to 400 to 450F.
I usually roast mine at 400 degrees.
Slice or Cut
Depending on the vegetable of choice, either slice them or cut them into 1-inch sizes. This allows them to roast evenly and they’re the right size for serving.
Of course, if you’re roasting a vegetable that you wouldn’t normally cut, like green beans or asparagus, just leave them whole.
Add your seasoning
Here’s the fun part. Dump your veggies into a large mixing bowl, drizzle your favorite olive oil over them, add your favorite seasoning mix or herbs and mix it up.
I tend to go with my mood on this part of the preparation. Tonight, we might have hot and spicy, the next night we might have mild and sweet. Your taste buds are your guide when it comes to this step.
Spread those veggies
Get your sheet pan out, cover it with parchment paper, and spread your veggies in a single layer. You want to have enough room to turn the vegetables during the roasting process. What you don’t want is half of your veggies in the bottom of your oven because your pan is too full.
Turn while roasting
About half-way through the roasting process, take your spatula and you’re your veggies. I like to drag the veggies along the edge of the pan to the center of the pan and then even them back out into a single layer. This will allow them to roast evenly and prevent the ones at the edge of the pan from getting too crispy.
Choose your favorite veggies
All vegetables are not created equal, so you’ll need to pair your veggies accordingly.
Autumn veggies are root vegetables; which take longer to cook. Cutting these into 1-inch pieces will make the roasting time shorter. Root vegetables include potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, yuca, and many more. Since these a little longer to roast than your softer vegetables, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bell pepper, or squash; you’ll need to add the softer vegetables to your pan about 20 minutes before the root vegetables are done.
Join the conversation in our member Facebook Group:
and share your favorite autumn veggies?
Here’s one of my favorite recipes for roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Pingback: 6 Best Veggies to Roast This Autumn – Balanced Health and You