Oven Roasted Root Vegetables – an easy, healthy and colorful vegetable side dish. These caramelized veggies are perfect for cold weather holidays, buffets or a weeknight dinner!
Root vegetables have a sweet, earthy flavor that seems tailor-made for roasting. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I felt it was high time to revisit my recipe for Oven Roasted Root Vegetables. This recipe has been a favorite on the site for years. With yams, carrots, parsnip, and potatoes, this hearty mix of vegetables is sure to satisfy. Red onions and garlic cloves are added to pump up the aromatic flavor. With rosemary, thyme and a touch of cumin, these vegetables are utterly addicting.
Cooking Tips for Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
- This recipe is great for a crowd; you can easily double the quantity on two baking sheets and roast two batches at once. This dish is perfect for a buffet, it’s equally tasty warm or at room temperature. It’s also super easy to make ahead and reheat.
- Use any combination of root veggies you like. Not a fan of yams? Substitute plain potatoes. Trouble finding parsnip at the market? Use more carrots instead. Other root vegetables like turnips, daikon, rutabaga and yuca will work too. Butternut squash also works well here (though it’s not a root vegetable). No matter which vegetables you use, the key to even roasting is cutting them all the same size. This way they’ll roast evenly. It’s a great way to clear out your produce drawer, and the process could not be easier.
- If you use red beets in this recipe, keep in mind that the roasting will release a pinkish juice that will color the other vegetables. The color doesn’t bother me– in fact, I think it’s kind of pretty. If you’d rather not have pinkish veggies, use golden beets or omit the beets completely.
- I like to keep my seasonings simple here. Salt, pepper, cumin, rosemary and thyme are all you need to bring out the earthy, wonderful flavors of the root veggies. For more flavor, you could sprinkle them with oregano, turmeric, or chili flakes to spice things up. Use your culinary imagination!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Equipment
- large rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 lb yams (orange sweet potatoes) - 2 small or one large, peeled
- 3/4 lb red potatoes scrubbed clean, peel on
- 1/2 lb beets (red or golden), trimmed and scrubbed clean
- 1/2 lb large carrots peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 parsnip medium sized (4-5 oz), peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1/2 red onion peeled
- 6 whole garlic cloves large sized
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 3 tsp dried rosemary)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (can be omitted for Ashkenazi Passover)
- 1 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or more to taste
Notes
Instructions
- Place a rack in the bottom of your oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice all vegetables into chunks roughly 1 1/2 inches wide. The more similar the size of the vegetable pieces, the more evenly they will roast.Place cut vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Add 3 tbsp olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until all vegetables are evenly coated with oil, spice and herbs.
- Brush large rimmed baking sheet with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread the vegetables out evenly on the baking sheet. Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the vegetables, evenly spaces across the sheet.Roast the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables, bringing the chunks from the outside towards the center and the chunks in the center out towards the edges. Return baking sheet to oven and continue to roast until the largest chunks are tender and the edges are starting to turn golden/dark, another 15-25 minutes.
- Remove the roasted rosemary sprigs and stir the vegetables (some leaves of rosemary will remain, this is good). Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Vegetables can be served warm or at room temperature.
Alisa Rosenberg says
Simple, sweet, and delicious!! This will be a new staple.
Leigh Anne Costlow says
My husband and I absolutely love this recipe. We are part of a CSA and had many root vegetables that we weren’t very fond of by themselves. Mixed together in this recipe with all the spices (I only used dried) it was delicious. I used whatever we had, never exactly what was listed
Mandy says
Great recipe! Just a note – the video that accompanies this recipe shows the garlic cloves being coarsely chopped… But the recipe indicates that they should be whole. (?)
Tori Avey says
Thanks Mandy. If the cloves are very large you can roughly chop them. The important point is to make all of the vegetables roughly the same size.
Nidhi says
It is so simple and extremely delicious… o added broccoli and cauliflower and it was super hi!!
Faith says
This was so tasty even though I did not have parsnips. Thanks for the beet tip! I waited to put them in until after the other veggies, oil and seasonings were well tossed. Only the onions became pink. Thanks, Tori!
Sharon Brautigam says
The cumin complemented the other flavors very nicely! I added radishes and Japanese turnips I had on hand. This dish went very nicely with some leftover pork shoulder roast. I will be making this again!
ARamnani says
Wonderful dish. Easy to make, delicious and visually appealing!
Lori McEvoy says
This recipe is great! I was a little worried about the cumin but I loved it. I couldn’t get parsnips (they were out of stock), so I used a small turnip. I skipped the red potatoes and added Brussels sprouts (I know, not a root vegetable). I also added some toasted, chopped pecans for a nice, sweet crunch, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. My teen son loved it! Me too!
Emma H says
I loved this recipe, it had never occurred to me to roast beetroot like this, nor to add cumin, and it was gorgeous – sweet and beautiful to look at. And the leftovers were great too, especially on toast for breakfast. I am making this again tonight, with a different combo of veggies. Thanks!
Anneliene Hoon says
Divine, thank you very much. Loved it
Jan says
I had some vegetables left over from making a chicken soup and I had bought a few beets to roast, so I added some onion. It was great!
Christine Paull says
Love, love , love this recipe!! Made it this evening and enjoyed it immensely. The flavors popped!
Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Glad to hear that!
karin says
Love this roasted root vegetable recipe. The garlic, thyme and rosemary are so wonderfully delicious together with the vegetables. I wonder if you think it would be a good side for a roasted pomegranate chicken. Or will the flavours compete?
Karin
Tori Avey says
I actually think it would be wonderful with pomegranate chicken! Glad you’re enjoying it. 🙂
Evan says
Made this one evening and it was very good then. The next morning I pan fried a serving up as a sort of breakfast scramble and it was delicious. Definitely will make again, and am especially pleased with its ability to be reheated.
Ellie Botshon says
When do you add the garlic? and onion?
Tori Avey says
They should be added in step 2 with all the rest of the vegetables.
Heather says
Do you peel the beets before roasting?
Tori Avey says
No need, just scrub them really well until they’re clean. Some skin will come off while you’re scrubbing.
Ruth says
Do you think I can add crispy bacon pieces to this, and oven roast it in the bacon fat instead of olive oil?
Tori Avey says
Never tried it… I don’t cook with bacon fat so not sure about smoke point for roasting. If you try it please report back and let us know how it was, this will be helpful for other readers!
Mary Elspas says
I am making this tonight, gold beets, turnips, purple carrots, parsnips and broccoli.
mikermeals says
Made this great side dish for an early Thanksgiving and we have been snacking on the leftovers all week!