I love vegetables and simply ADORE roasted vegetables.  The crispy outer bits and the soft, sweet insides are so flavorful that you don’t need a lot of oil or seasoning to achieve perfection.  But full disclosure – it can’t hurt!

One of the main players in a good pan of roasted vegetables is high heat.  Your tubers, squash, onions, and cruciferous friends need to be cooked between 450 and 500 degrees.  This helps develop that outer crunch and helps develop that sweetness that’s the hallmark of roasted vegetables.

Here is a recipe for a perfect pan of roasted veggies every time.

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and make sure you have a rack in the middle or just below the middle.
• Spritz a rimmed metal baking sheet with olive oil or baking spray.  Silpat mats and parchment don’t let you get those crispy bits that you’ll get from a metal pan.
• Cut or chop your veggies around the same size for even cooking BUT if you include onions, they should be twice the size of everything else so they don’t burn.
• Place veggies in a large bowl, season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning mix and a drizzle of olive or avocado oil and mix well.
• Lay your veggies in a single layer on your baking sheet.
• Place in oven, checking every 20 minutes.  Use a metal spatula to flip the veggies halfway through.   They should be done in about 40-45 minutes.
• Finish with a sprinkle of salt, fresh herbs such as rosemary or ribbons of basil.  Serve as a side dish or toss with pasta or rice. 

Here are some additional tips:

1. Don’t be impatient, it takes time to get the perfect browned pan of vegetables.
2. To speed up the process, you can steam brussels sprouts, boil potatoes or other dense foods first.  Just make sure they are as dry as possible before you put them in the oven otherwise you’ll steam instead of dry roast them. 

Here’s a pan of brussels sprouts I made on Saturday morning.  I ate them hot out of the oven for breakfast! 

Now go run!

Keli 😊