by Penelope Pankow

I love roasted vegetables because:

  • They are incredibly easy to prepare
  • You can memorize the recipe, making it easy for shopping
  • You can make all the same or mix all kinds of different vegetables, depending on what you have on hand
  • They taste so good you can’t believe you are eating something so good for you. Always make enough for left-overs!

When I first started roasting vegetables, I carefully followed recipes, but then I realized that the recipes were pretty much the same, so I have gotten a little lazy and just wing it. In preparation for this blog post, I found a great “recipe” that differentiates between dense, low moisture vegetables, like root vegetables and squash, and those with more moisture, such as zucchini and eggplant.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of the New York Times, which you will probably only need one!

Ingredients:

  • 2 to 3 pounds root or dense vegetable, peeled if you like and cut into 1-inch chunks or wedges (carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, radishes, rutabaga, winter squashes).
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons quality EVOO –  either a medium to robust single varietal, Fresh Pressed Blood Orange, Fresh Pressed Meyer Lemon, Heady Garlic, Tuscan Garden, or whatever other F. Oliver’s EVOO sounds good to you.
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons of oil. Spread out on a rimmed cookie sheet so that the vegetables are in a single layer. Salt, and pepper as desired (or for added flavor, sprinkle with your favorite spice blend). Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring at least once or twice during roasting for even cooking and browning. Drizzle with remaining oil just before serving (optional).

Variations:

  • You can use 2 pounds high-moisture vegetables instead (eggplant, peppers, zucchini, fennel, onions, brussels sprouts). Slice them and cut into chunks or wedges. Roast at 450 degrees until golden brown all over, 10 to 40 minutes depending on variety and the size of the pieces.
  • Or use 1 to 2 pounds hardy green vegetables (broccoli rabe, snow peas, green beans, kale, collard greens, chard) or cherry tomatoes, trimmed. Roast at 450 degrees for 7 to 15 minutes.

Final note: even if you put all the vegetables together and some get more done than others, so what, you still have a good healthy dish that will taste great!