Learn how to roast vegetables in the oven (quickly and easily!). The result is a tender, caramelized, delicious vegetable side dish perfect to serve in salads or alongside your favorite meat.
Looking for a vegetable side dish that’s simple, tasty, and cheap to make? Look no further.
Roast Vegetables are it. It takes very little work, tastes great, and best yet: you can make it with whatever vegetables you have on hand!
How to Roast Vegetables in the Oven
My friend Jessika (with a K) gets the credit for this recipe. She showed me how to make veggies so my people would like them.
In fact, I really can’t say enough good things about this dish. I cooked it up after lunch one day so that I could take pictures. I left it on the counter, and my people devoured it.
As a snack.
‘Nuff said?
What kinds of vegetables can you roast in the oven?
Roasting vegetables in olive oil and garlic gives them a delicious depth of flavor. And this recipe is amazingly easy to prepare.
You can use any of your favorite vegetables, including:
- onions
- green beans
- edible pea pods, like sugar snap or snow
- carrots
- eggplant
- zucchini
- squash
- tomatoes
- peppers
- broccoli
- cauliflower
Anything that you love for cooking is a great candidate for roasting.
How to roast vegetables in the oven:
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Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a glass, 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or line a baking dish with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.
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Transfer the vegetables to the prepared pan and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned on the edges. (The timing will differ depending on what kinds of vegetables you use. If you just use broccoli, it will be done in a much shorter time.)
Tips for roasting vegetables in the oven:
- Slice evenly. Even sized cuts will make sure they roast evenly in the oven.
- Group veggies by cooking time. Not all veggies will roast the same time. Cruciferous veggies (like brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) will take less time (like 20-25 minutes) than your root veggies (like carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips), about 30-45 minutes.
- Use a high heat. We find that 400°F is the perfect oven roasting temperature.
- Season well. Make sure to season your veggies well and before you cook them for the best flavor.
Can I roast vegetables in a toaster oven?
Oven roasting does involve heating the oven. This is fine in the cooler months, but you may hesitate to do so in summer, even though there are so many great veggies for roasting then.
If you have a toaster oven, you may be able to swing this without turning on the big oven. Another alternative is to do the roasting in the morning or late at night when the temps are cooler.
What can I serve roasted vegetables with?
Roasted vegetables are delicious hot, cold, or at room temperature. They are delicious on their own, alongside grilled or roasted meats, and in bowl meals.
They make a great side dish to go alongside a Easy Mediterranean Grilled Steak Recipe, or this Sausage and Potatoes with Sour Cream Sauce dinner but are also delicious stirred into pasta salads or topping a simply dressed salad.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- sheet pans – I LOVE my set of steel sheet pans. They make such a difference in baking.
Watch this video to see how EASY it is to roast vegetables in the oven:
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Roast Vegetables
Ingredients
- 8 cup chopped vegetables , such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, green beans, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and zucchini
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 to 2 tsp salt to taste
- 1 to 2 tsp herbes de Provence or other favorite herbs, such as basil, dill, Italian herb blend, tarragon, or thyme
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a glass, 9x13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or line a baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Transfer the vegetables to the prepared pan and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned on the edges. (The timing will differ depending on what kinds of vegetables you use. If you just use broccoli, it will be done in a much shorter time.)
Notes
- Slice evenly. Even sized cuts will make sure they roast evenly in the oven.
- Group veggies by cooking time. Not all veggies will roast the same time. Cruciferous veggies (like brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) will take less time (like 20-25 minutes) than your root veggies (like carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips).
- Use a high heat. We find that 400°F is the perfect oven roasting temperature.
- Season well. Make sure to season your veggies well and before you cook them for the best flavor.
- Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1/4 the recipe.
Nutrition
Pat
This is an amazing idea and tastes so good. I add potatoes to mine all the time. I put them in the bowl first and add the oil to coat them. Then I add the rest of the veggies season and stir to coat it all.
So yummy!!
Jessica Fisher
Sounds super yummy!
Judith
Any recommendations for taking this to a potluck? I’ve only ever eaten it straight out of the oven.
Jessica Fisher
Same here. I’d be tempted to undercook the veggies just a tad and then keep warm/keep cooking in the slow cooker.
Michelle
This looks fabulous! I’ve been looking for some variation for our favorite chicken sausage!
Jessica Fisher
My son made a big batch of this this week and it was super good with sauteed chicken tenders and quinoa.
Janet Price
That looks amazing, and so much like what my husband makes for my Saturday breakfast, except that he fries it in a pan. I have a lot of food allergies and am hypoglycemic, so he started making something like this for me because I couldn’t eat the yummy eggs and waffles/pancakes he was making for the rest of the family, and he wanted to make something tasty for me dealing my dreary allergy diet. In fact, it was so good, he started making it for the whole family! He also adds meat, since I need to have a protein at every meal.
Stephenie
I make this all the time with whatever I have on hand. I put mine on a very well seasoned stone and it tastes amazing that way….I wish I had 2 ovens so that I can make 2 batches at a time. I can never make enough…my family eats it all, no matter how much I make.
Kim
This sounds so good! I have some frozen squash and zucchini from our garden. Do you think they would work in this recipe?
Jessica Fisher
I am not sure. Did you blanch them before you froze them?
Kim
Hmmm….no I didn’t.
Jessica Fisher
I’m not sure. I’ve never done squash or zucchini except for baking. What do you normally do with them?
Kim
We usually do fried squash, but since I had so many this summer,I froze them. Other people say you can bake with them, but not fry them. I haven’t found anything to do with them yet. I just wonder if they’ll be squishy. 😛
Lizzy
Jessica, you have to try this variation! I tossed a can of chickpeas in with my vegetables to roast tonight. The roasted beans had a nutty flavor and added a nice crunch to the dish. I served the vegetables and beans with some chicken gravy as our complete meal. My hubby often eats without comment (but not without appreciation), but tonight he told me how good it was, highlighting the chickpeas. Maybe that was because roasted vegetables are not new here, but the chickpeas were; I don’t know.
Jessica Fisher
You are the second person to mention the chickpeas, so I’m going to have to try it. Thanks for the rec!
Lee
I love roasted veggies! I haven’t been to th grocery store for veg yet, and am down to carrots and green beans- I know it won’t have the same thrill as I get with all the veggies – but I’m hoping with enough seasoning it will be yummy. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like a great combo!
Michelle K
If you have it with sausage, do you toss that in the 9×13 w/ the veggies, too? Whole or cut up? I picked up some great chicken sausage at Sprouts last week.
Jessica Fisher
I can’t remember, but I think I just panfried the sausages. I might have done them in a separate pan in the oven, though. My kids want that again. 🙂
Kara
Perfect post! I am currently boiling 5lbs of chicken thighs to have the shredded chicken plus am making stock at the same time too. Was debating what to make for dinner. Now I know. Shredded chicken and roasted veggies!
Heather M
I LOVE to roast veggies! You forgot two of my favorite to roast: bell peppers and tomatoes. OH YUM when you add both of these to the roasted veggie mix. I love to eat the veggies straight, or tossed with whole wheat couscous, or pasta. If you let it get to room temp, it can even make a nice pasta salad. I often roast veggies when I have a little of this or a little of that left. As long as I have a bell pepper, some mushrooms and a red onion (or half, like I did last week.. you don’t need tons of onion), I add whatever else I’ve got sitting around. Last week’s version had green bell pepper, mushrooms, red onion, tomato, and carrots. I was getting pretty low in the fresh veggies dept. and it was the perfect remedy.
Jessica Fisher
Leftovers go well in omelets or tarts, too.
Ally
I’m still am amateur with coming up with creative ideas for veggies,and this looks so good! I have a question – What do you think about how well brussel sprouts would go with this combo (cut in half, of course)? I’ve roasted them but never mixed them with anything else. Maybe with potatoes/carrots/onions and possibly some squash?
Felicia
I make roasted veggies twice a week, and I include brussel sprouts when they are on sale – they are fantastic roasted in a little olive oil and salt & pepper- I also roast asparagus spears and eggplant along with the other veggies, and LOTS of sliced garlic ~ Enjoy
Jessica Fisher
I think that sounds awesome! I rarely get brussels sprouts in the box, but I would totally do that.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls
I’m not a veggie eater myself, but hubby would love this. What be the best way to make this freezer friendly? Chopping the veggies and freezing them in portion sizes and then cooking? I know potatoes don’t freeze well…do mushrooms (he loves mushrooms!)?
Jessica Fisher
I don’t think I would freeze this, unless there were a few leftovers. Then, I might test it on that.
Allie Zirkle
Yum! My kids love roasted broccoli topped with shredded Parmesan. They always argue who gets the crunchy cheese pieces that stick to the pan. Delish! I make these on a cookie sheet with coconut oil at 425 for 10 minutes, toss, and 400 for another 10-20, depending on doneness.