How to Roast Vegetables: 4 Ways to Serve Roasted Vegetables

Hundreds of years ago, roasting referred to food cooked over an open fire, while baking referred to food cooked in an oven, or in a baking dish under coals. Now that both roasting and baking happens in the oven, the words are often used interchangeably.

Roasting generally refers to foods that are cooked at 400°F or higher, but that’s not always the case: Foods can also be slow-roasted at lower temperatures.

Roasting is a simple process that adds depth of flavor and texture to most vegetables.

• Brussels sprouts: Roasting makes Brussels sprouts shine. The high heat chars the outer leaves for a meltaway crispy crunch, while the insides of the Brussels sprouts become soft and caramelized.
• Potatoes: Potatoes are one of the most flexible vegetables in the world that can be cooked in a variety of methods. Roasting potatoes creates a crisp, crackly skin and a creamy interior that rivals mashed potatoes.
• Winter squash: Roasting winter squash is one of the best ways to turn its tough, starchy flesh into something much softer and sweeter. Baste butternut squash with honey while it roasts, or roast a handful of halved dates alongside wedges of acorn squash.
• Broccoli: Quick roasting broccoli results in the best of both worlds: Tender, juicy stalks, and crispy, frazzled edges. Serve it with a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• Beets: To get a hot-knife-through-butter texture with beets, you have to roast them. Roasting makes the skin easier to peel off and the beets wind up cooking in their own juices towards the end. Use roasted beets to make a flavor-packed root vegetable salad or beet dip.

Here are a few ways to serve roasted vegetables:

1. 1. As an entrée. Hearty vegetables—beets, carrots, potatoes, winter squash, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, zucchini, turnips, and parsnips to name a few—tossed in olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper make for a perfect side dish or a vegan main. Serve alongside salsa verde for drizzling. Roasted cauliflower steaks, served with a fresh sauce like Romesco or chimichurri, or a rich, cheesy one, like Mornay, make a striking centerpiece.
2. 2. Add flavor to meats. Nestle thick slices or segments of red onion in the pan with your next roast chicken: They’ll soak up the delicious pan juices, and caramelize to a deep, jammy sweetness—a perfect pairing for tender poultry meat.
3. 3. Add to salads. Mix roasted cauliflower florets or sweet potato into salads—whether with dark, leafy greens, or grains like farro or wheat berries.
4. 4. Make into chips. Roasting hearty leafy greens like kale gets you—you guessed it—kale chips. Remove the ribs, lightly coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tear into bite-sized pieces for snack portions, or leave whole and incorporate into a dramatic, plated salad alongside raw, dressed leaves.

1. 1. Preheat the oven. Vegetables need to roast at a relatively high heat for caramelization to occur. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. 2. Prepare the vegetables. Cut veggies into pieces of the same size to ensure even cooking.
3. 3. Add a fat. Toss or drizzle your pre-roasted vegetables with a fat—olive oil, ghee, coconut oil (for lower temperature roasts), or avocado oil—to help their edges brown and crisp, while adding a subtle hint of imparted flavor.
4. 4. Season. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. You can also use fresh or dried herbs to add more flavor to the vegetables.
5. 5. Roast. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet, and transfer to the oven. The time it takes to roast will depend on which vegetables you’re roasting: Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips will always take longer than softer vegetables with a higher water content, like eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, or summer squash. Keep an eye on the more delicate vegetables which can burn quickly or become too soft. Your roasting pan or baking sheet will shield vegetables from the heat source, so if you want foods to be evenly cooked, you’ll need to rotate and flip during the roast, at least once. Other ways to slow down cooking include placing aluminum foil over the sheet pan.

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