Doesn’t this look delish?
You’re looking at my roasted vegetable tray about to hit the oven and fill my kitchen with the savory aroma of all things good. You’d be surprised how many of my clients ask me how to roast vegetables. Here are some time saving tips and the method I use in our kitchen.
Time Saving Tip #1
As with many of our favorites, I don’t exactly measure these vegetables out. One way you could save time is to purchase your veggies pre-chopped and your garlic minced. I basically grab whatever vegetables I have left in the fridge and use those, though if I’m shopping with this particular dish in mind, here is what I would purchase:
- Red potatoes (I don’t always include potatoes, but maybe every other time)
- Sweet potatoes
- Beets
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Yellow squash
- Zucchini
- Garlic, either minced or chopped (I love a good bite of mushy garlicky goodness)
- Broccoli and/or Cauliflower
- Red and White onion
- Bell peppers (a variety)
To the vegetables I add:
Once the veggies are all tossed together I liberal drizzle olive oil over them, then sprinkle with sea salt, rosemary, thyme, and cracked pepper and place in the oven at 375 degrees for at least 45 minutes. How done you like them is your preference. I typically roast them for 45 minutes then turn the oven off, leaving the pan in the oven until cool.
Time Saving Tip #2
Keep clean up to a minimum.
In the past this task was a messy one, sticky vegetables on the side of my Pampered Chef stone roasting pan that would sit soaking for a day on the stove and nobody wanted to clean it. I had an a-ha moment one day after I made a batch of granola (which would render the same result until I started in with the tip I’m about to give you and then later began utilizing it for when I roasted veggies).
I took the top off my big square broiling pan for the oven and lined the bottom with parchment paper. I love the taller edges because my granola (or veggies in this case) don’t spill over the edge and the parchment paper makes for easy clean up. I use two pieces horizontally placed and dump the veggies as I chop them onto the paper.
Once they are done roasting, I let them cool then spoon them into a glass storage container and place them in the fridge.
Time Saving Tip #3
What I love about roasting a tray of vegetables is the amount of time it saves me. Over the weekend I need to prepare for Monday nights dinner, which I’m at the office for, and Tuesday nights dinner as we get home from dance at the moment dinner should be served (for the most successful shot at people in bed at the appropriate time), not started. I also need to prep food for lunches, and though my husband and children much prefer deli meat and finger food, I prefer a bowl of something, whether it be soup or last nights dinner. I will even eat it cold.
When I’ve got a tray of roasted veggies in the fridge, all I need to do is grab a bowl of them (which, again, I would happily eat cold), or toss them in a bowl with some quinoa or shredded/chopped chicken and lunch is served.
For dinner options, I’ve used roasted veggies as pizza toppings, as pizza pie fillings, as a side dish, in Paleo wraps with a piece of turkey or scrambled into eggs, thrown in an egg bake or into a quiche.
