5 Ingredients or Fewer

Crisp & Tender Roasted Root Vegetables

April  1, 2013
4.5
4 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Use any combination of root vegetables you like for an easy, versatile side that works with pretty much any main dish. —Merrill Stubbs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (3/4 inch)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips (3/4 inch)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (3/4 inch)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme (or other woodsy herb of your choice)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment (or don't, if you're lazy like me and don't mind the extra caramelization).
  2. Using your fingers, toss the vegetables with the oil, salt, and thyme; I do this right on the baking sheet so as not to dirty a bowl.
  3. Put the vegetables in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip them gently with a spatula and continue to roast until the vegetables are crisp and tender, another 10 to 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temp. (I like to keep a batch of these in the fridge all week so I can press them into service at any time.)

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Tom Salamone
    Tom Salamone
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Merrill Stubbs
    Merrill Stubbs
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous

12 Reviews

Anonymous March 6, 2018
Yay! I just took a cooking class at Sur la Table, and this is basically what we made, and it was fabulous! Do you think green beans roast very well? Or broccoli? Looking for some non-starchy vegetables to roast other than cauliflower.
 
Jackie N. January 10, 2015
Hi Merrill, so glad to be part of Food52...can't wait to start making your recipes... How are you? It's been a long time since Boston
Jackie
 
Merrill S. January 10, 2015
Hi Jackie! So nice to see you on here. All's well on this end -- hope it's the same for you!
 
Tom S. December 6, 2013
Merrill: Every time I don't use parchment paper when roasting vegetables I have a bear of a time cleaning my baking pan. I oil the vegetables and cook. Period, nothing exotic. Why the mess in my pan when I see none in the above picture? Yes, I am a novice cook who will try anything, including several recipes from Food52. Hope you do not find this question a silly one. Thank you. Tom
 
Caroline October 17, 2017
Hi Tom.
Obviously I'm not Merrill, but I thought I'd respond. What kind of oil do you use? How fresh is the oil? How full is the pan? What kind of pan do you use (how thick, is it insulated, what material, etc)? Does your oven heat accurately? I feel like oil turning into elbow-killing sticky gunk in the corners of my pans happens when my pans weren't squeaky clean to begin with, say if I had used a dish to toast nuts and just kinda dusted it off before putting it away instead of really washing it. The old oil left in corners would become a sticky mess the next time the pan was used to bake cookies or whatnot.
What about a test with squares of aluminum foil and various oils on your baking sheet at different temperatures?
Good luck!
- CLK
 
Tom S. October 17, 2017
Caroline: First, thank you for your response. I use olive oil for everything I cook/roast. I do a very good job cleaning my pans, etc. I definitely will try your aluminum foil/various oils test. This may be a game changer as I grew up in a family that used olive oil for everything - period. Again, thank you for your advice and, more importantly, be well. Tom
 
Jacqui B. November 21, 2013
When you say 'keep a batch in the fridge', do you mean cooked or just prepped?

Thank you
Jacqui
 
Merrill S. November 22, 2013
Cooked! All you need to do is reheat to serve...
 
cschaefer September 3, 2013
Thank you so much for this Merrill. Super easy prep & I love the versatility of this recipe. This has been a main go-to for my 10-month-old daughter these past four months, & has become a staple item for the rest of the family as well!
 
Merrill S. September 3, 2013
So glad to hear it!
 
AntoniaJames April 1, 2013
Oh, this is too funny! I made exactly this to take to a dinner party last night, but used turnips instead of parsnips, as well as a few Yukon golds. And I splashed them with a touch of garlic-scented red-wine vinegar, to counter the sweetness of the orange veggies (and the spring turnips, which were also sugar-sweet). ;o) P.S. I find that dirtying a bowl is worth it here, as I seem better able thoroughly to coat the veggies with oil plus herbs and salt. Put then I use the bowl to make a vinaigrette.
 
Merrill S. April 1, 2013
Brilliant! I'll have to try that next time.