Knowing how to make Roasted Vegetables well is a life essential! For the best results? Don’t mix root vegetables with high moisture vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. For the garlic, use smashed whole cloves instead of minced so it won’t burn. Finally, roast in a moderate rather than hot oven so the vegetables have time to sweeten and caramelise evenly!
Roasted Vegetables
I regard oven-roasted vegetables as a basic cooking skill everybody needs to master. It’s up there with cooking rice, making a soup, and whipping up a simple roast. It’s also a brilliant way to use up lots of vegetable odds and ends you might have lurking in the vegetable crisper at once.
Roasted vegetables is one of those recipes that readers have been asking for years but I kept shelving because I thought it just wasn’t exciting enough or so simple I didn’t have enough information to warrant writing about it. “Cut ’em, toss ’em in oil, salt and pepper, then throw ’em in the oven!” I’d tell friends who asked, with feigned sageness, because … how hard is that to do?
This would inevitably be followed up with a rapid series of questions: “But what temperature? Can I add flavours?? How big do I cut the vegetables??”
Upon which I would just pick up the phone and dictate to them the recipe I’ve written down below.
So, as it turns out, I do have information to impart about how to roast vegetables!
Vegetables I use
Here is a typical combination of vegetables I use when making a tray of roasted vegetables. I like this root vegetable medley one because there’s a nice mix of colour, texture and flavours. It’s also seasonal and economical, being winter here in Australia. Plus, other than the onion, the vegetables take the same length of time to roast in the oven which simplifies things.
See recipe notes for using other vegetables, including roasting time and how to cut.
Vegetables – (See below for how I cut each vegetable.) As mentioned at the beginning, this recipe will work for any roast-able vegetable. However, I recommend roasting starchy and hardier root vegetables separately from high moisture vegetables, such as eggplant.
It’s just easier because a) the roasting methods are quite different (high moisture vegetables do better with higher heat to rapidly caramelise and seal in the moisture); and b) nobody wants the watery insides of vegetables like eggplant bursting out and mixing with their potatoes!
Garlic – These are used whole, but SMASHED! This is when garlic is flattened with the skin on using the side of a knife so they burst open but largely stay in one piece. It imparts a lovely garlic flavour throughout the vegetables AND you get the treat of eating roasted garlic – so good!
As mentioned above, if you use minced garlic instead, you end up with lots of little bitter burnt bits of garlic throughout the vegetables. Not very nice!!
See below, or the recipe video, for a visual for how to smash garlic cloves.
Herbs – I’ve used fresh sage and thyme here which are two herbs that do well to impart subtle flavour when roasted. Other woody herbs like rosemary would also work well here.
More delicate herbs like oregano, chives, marjoram, basil etc, can’t withstand long oven cooking and will wilt and lose their flavour. Instead, sprinkle fresh over the vegetables once roasted.
Dried herbs option – Dried herbs will work just fine too, but they won’t add flavour in the same way fresh herbs do. To use dried herbs, just add when tossing with salt and pepper.
Parsley – This is just used as a garnish so it’s optional. Chives or chervil would also work nicely here.
How I cut vegetables to roast
Here are some diagrams illustrating how I cut vegetables for roasting. It doesn’t really matter what shape you cut them in as long as they are:
Same size – they are all roughly the same size so they roast in the same time; and
Large(ish) – they are not cut too small because bear in mind they shrink about 25% (nobody wants pea-size roasted veg!). We also want the vegetables to hold up in the oven for long enough so they caramelise nicely on the outside (small pieces = cooks faster on inside = not enough time for colour).
How I cut parsnip for roasting
For parsnip, I cut the thinner end differently from the thick end. Since it’s hard to make them exactly the same size, second best is to aim for batons / chunks that are roughly the same in weight so they cook in the same time.
How I cut carrots for roasting
I like to cut the carrots on alternating diagonals for a bit of visual interest and also because more surface area = more caramelisation = more flavour!
How I cut red onion for roasted vegetables
Cut the red onion into 2 – 2.5cm / 1″ squares. To do this, I cut the onion in half, then each half into 3 – 4 wedges (depending on size). Then I cut the wedges into 3 or 4 pieces.
How I make roasted vegetables
To make roasted vegetables, I separate the onion and from rest of the vegetables because onions take less time in the oven.
Toss red onion with olive oil, salt and pepper in a separate bowl to the other vegetables, then set aside. We will add these onto the tray 30 minutes into the roasting time;
Remaining vegetables – Place the remaining vegetables in a separate bowl with the smashed garlic, thyme sprigs and hand torn sage (just tear the leaves off with hands, break sprigs in half). Toss it all with the oil, salt and pepper.
You will be surprised how much herb and garlic flavour is imparted to the roast vegetables using whole herbs/garlic instead of minced which you might be used to. As noted above, this works better because minced garlic/herbs just burns. Nobody wants bitter little bits of garlic littered throughout their sweet roasted vegetables … but everyone wants THIS ↓↓↓(“this” being sweet caramelised roasted garlic!).
Oven 30 minutes – Spread the vegetables on a large roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). If you want to reduce clean up, line the tray with paper. But it’s not essential because we are using sufficient oil so the vegetables will not stick.
Add red onion – After 30 minutes, add red onion then give everything a quick toss.
Roast 60 minutes – Roast for a further 60 minutes, tossing halfway.
1 1/2 hours total roasting time might sound like a long time for roasted vegetables. But the longer roasting time at a slightly lower temperature than the hot ovens some recipes call for means the vegetables have time to sweeten which makes them all the more delicious!
Sprinkle with parsley if desired, then serve immediately!
I don’t think you need me to tell you what to serve roasted vegetables with. (Answer is – everything and anything!)
And while they are excellent as a side, don’t underestimate the deliciousness of a big bowl of roasted vegetables as a meal in itself (and a guilt-free one, no less.) It is literally what I just had for lunch not 1 hour ago! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 400g / 14oz small potatoes , skin on (10 or so)
- 2 carrots , medium/large, peeled
- 1 large parsnip (250g/8oz), peeled
- 1 red onion , large, peeled (200g / 7oz)
- 5 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 1)
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 3 sage sprigs
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish:
- 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
Instructions
Cutting vegetables:
- Potatoes – Cut in half. (For large, cut into 3 or 4)
- Carrots – Cut into 3cm / 1.2" triangles on the diagonal (see diagram in post).
- Parsnip – Cut into 4cm / 1.5" lengths. Then cut into batons / chunks so they are roughly equal size (see diagram in post).
- Red onion – Cut in half, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Then in cut into 3 or 4 so you get 2cm/ 0.8" squares.
- Smashed garlic – Place side of knife on unpeeled garlic clove. Hit firmly with palm of hand so the garlic bursts open a bit but mostly stays in tact.
Roasting:
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
- Onion – Toss onion in one bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch of the salt and pepper. Set aside – we add these later.
- Other vegetables – Put all other vegetables, thyme and garlic in a separate bowl. Tear sage leaves and stems with hands, add into bowl. Toss with remaining oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a large baking tray.
- Roasting – Roast 30 minutes. Add onion, toss vegetables. Roast for a further 1 hour, tossing halfway, until cooked through with golden edges.
- Garnish & serve – Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
More delicate herbs like oregano, chives, marjoram, basil etc, can’t withstand oven cooking. Instead, sprinkle over the vegetables once roasted.
Dried herbs option – Dried herbs will work just fine too, but they won’t add flavour in the same way fresh herbs do. To use dried herbs, just add when tossing with salt and pepper. 3. Other vegetables – Of course, other vegetables work! But I do recommend roasting starchy / root / hard veg (potatoes, carrot, parsnip) separately from high moisture / soft vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, capsicum / bell peppers) because they call for different roasting times. Also, nobody wants juice accidentally bursting out from eggplant making their potatoes wet! Add hard veg at the beginning, softer veg later. Here are some guides. Other hard veg (same roasting time per recipe, cut into similar sizes)
- Sweet potato
- Turnip
- Swedes
- Capsicum / bell peppers – 2.5cm / 1″ squares, 20 minutes
- Mushrooms (large) – halved, 40 minutes
- Pumpkin, squash – 4cm / 1.5″ cubes, 30 minutes
- Zucchini – 4cm / 1.5″ chunks, 25 minutes
- Eggplant – See this recipe for best method
- Jerusalem artichokes – halved, 40 minutes
- Fennel – 2cm / 1″ slices, 45 minutes
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He’s taken to eating MUD. Clearly I’m not feeding him enough!!
If you’re still looking for the recipe for prince harry’s chicken pie find it here!
Excellent!
We just had it for dinner.
Without anything else… ::)
Doesn’t need it…
Thanks, Nagi ! XX Mireille
That’s fabulous Mireille!! N x
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love roasted vegetables. That is my favourite way of eating them. Living in the states I appreciate you using farenheit, cups, spoons and inches. Thank you❤
Thanks so much Theresa, I also have a metric toggle so everyone can use the recipe 🙂 N x
Wow, you went way out and beyond to write out exact instructions, Nagi you are way to kind and very Generous of your very precious time. You always write very good and clear directions. If people took time to read your bloggie piece before the recipe start, I generally find it really interesting and more importantly I find some fascinating gems and things or tips, I didn’t know.
I could quite easily eat this alone for dinner, I love eating the could as a salad the next day, you can do so much with cold roasted veg. My favourite toast topping is a squeeze of roasted garlic with sliced tomato or Vegemite and Avocado homemade (sough dough).
Thankyou Nagi for all the work you provide for us….😘
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback Lindi, I truly appreciate it!!! ❤️ N x
How beautiful these are! I’m betting they taste fantastic.
They are absolutely to die for Edith – nothing better than perfect roast vegetables!! N x
Why do so many recipe writers, including Nagi, give Fahrenheit & Centigrade temperatures but not gas reg? They also give Fan Centigrade temperature which really isn’t necessary as I understand with fan ovens the heat is always reduced by 10C.
Some countries use Fahrenheit and some countries use Celsius.
Hi Nagi, first let me say that I love your recipes. I try to cook the healthy option most of the time. I notice that you have used extra virgin olive oil in your roast veg. It is my understanding that you should not heat extra virgin olive oil as it interferes with the molecular make up of the oil. However, I have seen it used for cooking in recipes before but not very often. Have you any knowledge of this.
Hi Mary, olive oil has a lower smoke point than other oils, therefore should be used for frying or high heat cooking. In this recipe, the heat isn’t high enough to bring the olive oil to smoke point. N x
Awesome recipe Nagi!
I’ve always been naughty and shoved all my veg in together (at high heat) and overcrowded too! So glad you’ve broken it all down – make sense! What temperature, size and times would you recommend for cauliflower and brussel sprouts?
Hi Valerie, I suppose it’s we are just giving instructions for the most common ovens that people own. And yes, I state the fan temperature as it IS necessary. Often, but not always it is 20C less than a regular oven so I’ll state the relevant temperature. N x
Full of useful and interesting information. We love roasted veggies at our house, but I have a little trouble with cauliflower and Brussels. Do you have a recipe and tips for those, too? Thank you for your varied recipes, but I must admit, when opening your posts, I scroll to see what Dozer is up to first! He’s lovely!
Nagi has a great recipe for cauliflower and for Brussel sprouts – Parmesan roasted cauliflower, I think it’s called. So simple, so yummy, my grandkids love it cooked with Parmesan cheese (ages 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 12, 15) they won’t eat cauliflower any other way now, they ask for NagiVeggies
Thank you. I have made parmesan cauliflower, but it tends to burn on the edges before it’s cooked enough for us.
I have a few Julie;
https://www.recipetineats.com/roasted-cauliflower/
https://www.recipetineats.com/chipotle-lime-roasted-cauliflower/
https://www.recipetineats.com/crispy-parmesan-roasted-brussels-sprouts/
Just to get you started! N x
Thank you!
What a picture perfect meal – and healthy too! Thank you so much for the onion information about adding them later. Guess I should have known that as we pretty much add them to most things. You’re right – roasted garlic is the absolute best. Thank you for all the great recipes and Dozer updates – he’s really something. You hit the dog jackpot!
You’re so welcome Chris!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Would Swede and turnip go well in your roasted vegetables recipe?
Cheers Mike
Yes 100% Mike!! N x
I’m looking forward to this for two reasons: (1) your photo shows nicely roasted veggies and *not* BURNT veggies that so many cooks call roasted, and (2) all of your recipes are fabulous. 😀
Thanks so much Valerie! N x
I love the low and slow method, I think it will make all the difference! I also have been wanting to know how YOU did your roast veggies Nagi so thank you for posting! 🙂
Would this work for frozen root vegetables too? I have a pre-cut roast veg mix in my freezer right now and wondering if that could work or if fresh is better.
Hi Christina, I always prefer fresh over frozen as they seem to be waterlogged and don’t caramelise well. N x
Hi Nagi. How do you roast pumpkin without them going watery?
The notes at the bottom suggest cooking times for other veggies – pumpkin is 30 minutes and make sure the tray they’re in, seperate to the hard root veggies, make sure pumpkin pieces aren’t cramped or touching one another.
Looks so delicious and simple to make! Thank you for sharing.
Simple is sometimes the best isn’t it Shweta! N x
I am SOOO happy you posted this! I am one of those idiots who can never get roasted veggies right – burned, soggy, undercooked, stuck to the pan – I’ve done it all! I cannot wait to try it your way and fingers crossed I will finally be able to roast a tray of vegetables properly!
It seems so simple but sometimes the hardest thing to master! I hope you give this one a go – love to know if it works for you! N x
You have no idea how happy those cutting diagrams made me!
I absolutely love a simple but amazing recipe x
I have roasted garlic in the skin before, but as you mentioned, you have to squeeze it out of the skin. I noticed that you left the skin on the garlic for this recipe. Do you just eat the whole piece (with the skin on) in the vegetable mix or do you need to pick out the garlic from the veggies and remove the skin first? Thank you!
Hi Renee, you’ll need to squeeze it out of the skin to eat 🙂 N x
Enjoy Mackenzie!! N x
I also have been roasting at lower temps. Would you add sweet potatoes with the onions as they seem to cook quite quickly?
Hi Neil, just popped this into the recipe notes. N x
Love roasted veggies. I’ll try your version, the only difference being oven temp and garlic. How does one eat around the papery garlic peel? I don’t mince mine, but not sure on the peel. Love all your recipes. Everyone a winner, and I’ve made sooooo many.
Hi Linda, once the garlic is roasted and soft you can just squeeze it out of the peel – yum! N x
Thank you, Nagi. I’ll try that. I just harvested my garlic and I love roasted garlic. Made a huge batch.
It will just squeeze out
you said in your introduction:
“roast in a moderate (which is 180-190C) rather than hot oven so the vegetables have time to sweeten and caramelise evenly!”
but then you advise on a hot oven. (200C) What is correct?
Hi Heiko – yes moderate being 180C fan 🙂 N x
Many thanks Nagi!
Hi Heiko. I made this last night. I suspect the difference is that one is a ‘fan’ oven temp (I used 180c) and the other is for non-fan oven (200c). Cooking food using non-fan setting tend to need a higher heat setting. PS Nagi, like the way you cut the carrots!
Am patting myself on the back as I seem to have figured most of this out thru’ my long years of cooking – and, a beautiful tray like yours would happily suffice for a full meal ! Perhaps some yogurt on the side and a mellow glass of red . . . prima !!! I also love mushrooms, zucchini and capsicums baked in the oven done in a similar manner but obviously needing less time – what temp for how long would you say . . . ?
Hi Eha, I would add them in at the same time as the onion here, I would just do them in a separate pan due to the water content. N x
I’m one of the people who has been waiting for this! Not because I don’t roast vegetables all the time, but just cos I want to know how YOU do it, Nagi!
The Vegie Bar in Melbourne does this amazing Veggie Bake, so simple. It’s a plate of roast veg like this, a generously dollop of hummus and toasted Turkish bread.
I’m going to make this for dinner tomorrow night and report back!
Thank you 💚
Sounds like absolutely perfection Nel!!! Love the idea of tahini – genius! N x