Roasting your vegetables is one of the best ways to enjoy them. SavorSheet-Pan Ratatouillein the summer,Balsamic Roasted Carrotsin the fall,Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tamarind Glazein the winter andHoney & Ginger Roasted Turnipscome springtime. And these are just a few of our favoritesheet-pan veggie recipes.
If you’re looking to spruce up your usual veggie-roasting routine, we found some expert advice from one ofEatingWell’s favorite celebrity chefs, Ina Garten. Here are five tips from the Food Network star on roasting veggies to perfection, including chopping tips, recommended seasonings and ways to avoid limp, soggy vegetables.
The #1 Mistake You’re Making When You Roast Veggies Is Surprisingly Easy to Fix
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Tip 1: Large Pieces = OK
When cutting up your veggies to add to your sheet pan, keeping the chopped pieces large (especially withwater-packed produce) is OK, and in some cases preferred, according to Garten. In herRoasted Summer Vegetablesrecipe, she notes that cutting zucchini into ¾-inch-thick slices “will seem large, but they’ll shrink while they cook.”
Tip 2: Keep It to One Layer
Before you dump a pile of overlapping vegetables onto your sheet pan, think twice. In recipes like herRoasted Broccolini & CheddarandRoasted Carrots, Garten recommends keeping your veggies in one layer with no overlap.
Tip 3: Toss Your Veggies Mid-Roast
This might feel tedious, but it’s entirely worth it for an even roast. In her recipe forRoasted Butternut Squash, Garten states that tossing the pieces of squash once during cooking with a large metal spatula will help the cubes brown evenly. Try her method when whipping up ourRoasted Butternut Squash Saladthat’s packed withheart-healthy ingredients.
Tip 4: Season with Herbs and Cheese
While seasoning your veggies with salt, pepper and oil before placing them in the oven is standard and tasty, Garten is a fan of taking it up a notch. Whether it’sadding Parmesan cheeseorsprinkling on some herbs, seasoning with your favorite flavor-packed pantry staples will make you want to scoop a second helping of vegetables with your dinner. Check out thesecheesy veggie sidesthat are so delicious, you’ll want to make them forever.
Tip 5: Use up the Leftover Seasonings from the Pan
If you’re more of a season-before-roasting person, Garten has a trick for you, too. Don’t let any of that flavor go to waste on the pan and instead scrape all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan onto your finished dish. When serving the veggies with pasta, Garten likes mixing the seasoning into the main dish before topping it off with her vegetables, according to herOrzo with Roasted Vegetablesrecipe. We’ll definitely try out this method next time we make ourRoasted Root Veggies & Greens over Lentils.
Up next:24 Ina Garten Recipes We Can’t Stop Making
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