How to Roast Any Vegetable
Roasting vegetables is the easiest way to prepare for the week ahead, and it's the first piece of advice I give my clients when discussing ways to implement healthy eating into their daily routine.
How to Roast Any Vegetable
The Method:
1-2 pounds vegetables, cut into 1-inch chunks or wedges
1-2 Tbs. olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
Toss vegetables with generous amounts of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I like to do this right on the sheet pan to cut down on the mess.
Arrange vegetables into a single layer, and roast on the middle oven rack according to times below.
For root or other dense vegetables: Roast for 30 minutes to one hour, stirring at least twice, and checking every 5-10 minutes after the 30 minute mark for desired doneness. Vegetables include potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, and winter squash.
*To roast whole beets or sweet potatoes, wash/scrub, and then wrap in aluminum foil. Roast on a sheet pan for 45 minutes to one hour, checking for doneness at the 45 minute mark by unwrapping and inserting a knife into the middle. The knife should easily slide in with minimal to no resistance.
*For hard winter squash (butternut, spaghetti, etc), carefully cut squash in half and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Then roast cut side down on the sheet pan. Check doneness after 45 minutes. (Tip: prick, then microwave the whole squash for 4-5 minutes before cutting to make it a little easier. Just be careful to watch out for steam.)
For high-moisture vegetables: Roast for 15-30 minutes depending on the size and variety. Start checking after 15 minutes and stir at least once. Vegetables include brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, fennel, cauliflower, mushrooms, and summer squash.
For green vegetables or cherry tomatoes: Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring at least once. Vegetables include broccoli, green beans, and asparagus.
Tips:
Always cook like with like (i.e. no sweet potatoes and broccoli on the same tray.)
Do not overcrowd the pan or else the vegetables will steam rather than brown. Ideally the vegetables shouldn't touch.
Method adapted from NY Times Cooking.
