Roasting veggies seems really easy but it’s something that I know a lot of people get intimidated by. If you roast veggies with oil, the natural sweetness of the veggies will come out after a certain point. Thats why if you roast garlic with olive oil it becomes sweet and it takes a lot of the bitterness out of it. So this is what happens according to ChowHound.com “This caramelization is a non-enzymic browning reaction that happens when there is no water and sugars break down from the heat, according to the Science of Cooking”
I get so fascinated with the science behind cooking so I feel like I should add why certain foods or veggies react when they hit heat.
Roasting any kind of veggie you have is the best way to go through food that is almost about to go bad but you still want to eat it. You can save money, freeze it, and add it to literally anything. Any protein, salad, juice (if you’re into that). The smokiness of the vegetable with some salt and pepper or whatever seasoning you like adds a depth of flavor to your next meal!
Rule of thumb: low and slow. The best part is that you can pop them into the oven for 30 minutes or so and do other things until they’re ready.
Depending on the veg, you may need to lower or increase the temp. Drizzle some olive oil, season with salt/pepper garlic powder and if you like some heat cayenne pepper or red chili flakes. Make sure every veggie is covered with oil and seasoning. I use my hands but if you want to, you can toss it in a bowl.
I always set my oven to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes is always a safe way to do it. Now your oven may be hotter or cooler and some vegetables are hardier than others.
All of these are based on 350 Degrees F temp. Times/cooking temps WILL VARY. Check on your veggies every 15 minutes or so. Flip them or give them a good shake to move them around. Feel free to add fresh cloves of garlic or onion for addition flavor 🙂
- Brussel sprouts – 25-30 minutes. I like when mine are a bit charred and the leaves are crispy. Brussel sprouts are my FAVORITE veg
- Cauliflower/ Broccoli – depending on fresh or frozen. Either one works fine. Fresh cauliflower or broccoli takes about 20-25 minutes. Frozen (if thawed) need to be dried a little bit so the oil doesn’t slick off but you can try 25- 30.
- Carrots – 20 minutes if you cut them in small bite size pieces.
- Potatoes bite size pieces– 30- 35 minutes. If you like a more crispier potato. Cut them up, soak them in water and let it sit for AT LEAST an hour or all night if you can, drain out all of that starch and pat them dry. Drizzle olive oil and season them. Then pop them in for 40 minutes. Flip them or move them around half way through.
- if you don’t want to soak. Aim for 40- 45 minutes and flip them half way through
- Sweet potatoes – these can be done in so many different ways. You can roast them and puree them or you can just add them in with so many different veggies.
- What I do: I wash and peel them, cut them up in small bite size pieces and let them bake with my oil and seasoning for 30-40 minutes sometimes an hour. It just depends on how thick you cut your pieces
- Garlic/Aromatics – I LOVE ROASTED GARLIC. You can roast them with any veggie you want in the same sheet tray. The garlic or onions will add sweetness and additional flavor to your veggies.
- Roasting the bulb of garlic: I take a whole bulb of garlic, slice the top so that I can see the tops of the garlics cut off. I wrap them in aluminum foil (like a little oven) drizzle the top of the bulb with a lot of olive oil and salt/pepper then wrap up the aluminum foil and pop them on a sheet tray. I bake these at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes and when you open them up they SMELL SO GOOD and SWEET. You can literally squeeze out the garlic from the tiny pockets and put in pasta, on bread, on ANYTHING. You can also pop them all out and save them as a garlic spread with some dried herbs. It’s great and easy for parties
I am hoping this was helpful for you all! Let me know what veggies you try to roast. Send me your pics or tag them using #teeksandeats or @teeksandeats.
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