How to Roast Vegetables

Roasting creates a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor in many vegetables. This simple cooking method helps preserve nutrients and can enhance the flavors of many vegetables.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Vegetables
• Roasting pan
• Oil
• Seasoning
• Knife
• Cutting board

1. Choose your vegetables. Almost any hard, solid vegetable can be roasted. Good choices include peppers of any color, squash and zucchini, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and root vegetables such as onions, carrots and potatoes.

2. Prepare your vegetables. Wash the vegetables with fresh running water. Lightly scrub off any dirt with a vegetable brush.

3. Cut vegetables into pieces. Uniform pieces work best for roasting. Using a cutting board and knife, slice your vegetables into chunks that are approximately the same size.

4. Preheat oven. Most vegetables roast well at about 400 degrees.

5. Dress the vegetables. Put your vegetables in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Add a little pepper to taste. Toss to coat the vegetable chunks.

6. Prepare a roasting pan. Grease the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or line it with parchment paper.

7. Arrange the vegetables. Place the vegetables in a single layer in the roasting pan.

8. Roast the vegetables. Once the oven is preheated, slide the vegetables onto the middle rack. Roast for approximately 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables. After 10 minutes have passed, stir the vegetables. Spread them in a single layer again. Roast another 10 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Vegetables can be seasoned with other herbs and spices, such as Italian seasoning or rosemary.

• Vegetables should be lightly browned on the edges. Increase roasting time if your vegetables are cut into large chunks.

• Avoid bruising the tender flesh of the vegetables when you're scrubbing them clean.

• Avoid packing the vegetables too close together in the roasting pan -- this will cause the food to steam rather than roast.

References

• UC Berkeley: UHS Tang Center: Vegetables Made Easy