Roasted root vegetables are a perfect autumn and winter side dish. They’re appropriate beside an extravagant prime rib dinner or an everyday meat loaf. You can even take this side dish to a potluck dinner, people will love it!

Let your imagination and your pantry guide you. Vary the recipe by using different combinations of vegetables, cutting them in different ways and adjusting the seasoning.

Winter squash, like butternut and acorn, are not root vegetables but they can also be roasted giving you more options to vary this recipe. I had a leftover white pumpkin from my Teal Pumpkin display (and post) plus an acorn squash. So I cut them up and roasted all my vegetables at the same time.

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Seasonal Strategy

In late September or early October when I dig up carrots and beets from my garden that marks the beginning of the season for oven-roasted vegetables.

It’s hard to know what’s in season these days with food flown in from all across the globe. Yet with a bit of attention you can easily learn what’s in season and make your favourite dishes with produce at it’s peak. If your family had a garden you might remember what vegetables they grew or simply pay attention to what’s for sale at the Farmer’s Market. Some produce is actually stored in a warehouse for almost a year and arrives at your local store just before the start of the next season. Those are the vegetables you want to avoid.

Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are anything that grows under the ground like carrots, potatoes and beets. This is a list of some of the root vegetables available so why not try something you haven’t cooked before.

Beets, that under appreciated vegetable, turn everything nearby red but don’t overlook them. For this recipe I roast them in one corner of the baking sheet and add them just before serving. They seem to take the longest to cook so I usually cut them a bit smaller. You just need to cook them and learn as you go.

Another way to avoid the transfer of the red colour from beets is to roast them in separate foil packages. I usually do this with no seasoning at all and either add them to my roasted vegetables or put them in the fridge to be used throughout the week. This combination of Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts is amazing!

Get The Tools

Every home cook needs a few tools and there aren’t many to make roasted vegetables.

• Buy baking sheets in pairs and find two that fit side by side in your oven. You’ll be glad you thought of this on many occasions.
• Buy parchment paper on a roll or as parchment paper sheets to line baking sheets, make clean up easy and it can be recycled.
• A reusable option and a good investment are the non-stick, food safe baking mats.

Do you have a favourite combination of vegetables for roasting or a tip to share? Let me know in the comments below.

Originally posted November 2015, reposted November 2020

More Fall Side Dishes

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