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Home Veg and Salad Sides

Roasted Vegetables

By:Nagi
Published:19 Jul '21Updated:16 Aug '23
124 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Knowing how to make Roasted Vegetables well is a life essential! For the best results? Don’t mix root vegetables with high moisture vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. For the garlic, use smashed whole cloves instead of minced so it won’t burn. Finally, roast in a moderate rather than hot oven so the vegetables have time to sweeten and caramelise evenly!

Close up of tray of Roasted Vegetables fresh out of the oven

Roasted Vegetables

I regard oven-roasted vegetables as a basic cooking skill everybody needs to master. It’s up there with cooking rice, making a soup, and whipping up a simple roast. It’s also a brilliant way to use up lots of vegetable odds and ends you might have lurking in the vegetable crisper at once.

Roasted vegetables is one of those recipes that readers have been asking for years but I kept shelving because I thought it just wasn’t exciting enough or so simple I didn’t have enough information to warrant writing about it. “Cut ’em, toss ’em in oil, salt and pepper, then throw ’em in the oven!” I’d tell friends who asked, with feigned sageness, because … how hard is that to do?

This would inevitably be followed up with a rapid series of questions: “But what temperature? Can I add flavours?? How big do I cut the vegetables??”

Upon which I would just pick up the phone and dictate to them the recipe I’ve written down below.

So, as it turns out, I do have information to impart about how to roast vegetables!

Bowl of Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables I use

Here is a typical combination of vegetables I use when making a tray of roasted vegetables. I like this root vegetable medley one because there’s a nice mix of colour, texture and flavours. It’s also seasonal and economical, being winter here in Australia. Plus, other than the onion, the vegetables take the same length of time to roast in the oven which simplifies things.

See recipe notes for using other vegetables, including roasting time and how to cut.

  • Vegetables – (See below for how I cut each vegetable.) As mentioned at the beginning, this recipe will work for any roast-able vegetable. However, I recommend roasting starchy and hardier root vegetables separately from high moisture vegetables, such as eggplant.

    It’s just easier because a) the roasting methods are quite different (high moisture vegetables do better with higher heat to rapidly caramelise and seal in the moisture); and b) nobody wants the watery insides of vegetables like eggplant bursting out and mixing with their potatoes!

  • Garlic – These are used whole, but SMASHED! This is when garlic is flattened with the skin on using the side of a knife so they burst open but largely stay in one piece. It imparts a lovely garlic flavour throughout the vegetables AND you get the treat of eating roasted garlic – so good!

    As mentioned above, if you use minced garlic instead, you end up with lots of little bitter burnt bits of garlic throughout the vegetables. Not very nice!!

    See below, or the recipe video, for a visual for how to smash garlic cloves.

  • Herbs – I’ve used fresh sage and thyme here which are two herbs that do well to impart subtle flavour when roasted. Other woody herbs like rosemary would also work well here.

    More delicate herbs like oregano, chives, marjoram, basil etc, can’t withstand long oven cooking and will wilt and lose their flavour. Instead, sprinkle fresh over the vegetables once roasted.

    Dried herbs option – Dried herbs will work just fine too, but they won’t add flavour in the same way fresh herbs do. To use dried herbs, just add when tossing with salt and pepper.

  • Parsley – This is just used as a garnish so it’s optional. Chives or chervil would also work nicely here.


How I cut vegetables to roast

Here are some diagrams illustrating how I cut vegetables for roasting. It doesn’t really matter what shape you cut them in as long as they are:

  1. Same size – they are all roughly the same size so they roast in the same time; and

  2. Large(ish) – they are not cut too small because bear in mind they shrink about 25% (nobody wants pea-size roasted veg!). We also want the vegetables to hold up in the oven for long enough so they caramelise nicely on the outside (small pieces = cooks faster on inside = not enough time for colour).

How I cut parsnip for roasting

For parsnip, I cut the thinner end differently from the thick end. Since it’s hard to make them exactly the same size, second best is to aim for batons / chunks that are roughly the same in weight so they cook in the same time.

  • How to cut parsnip for roasting
  • How to cut parsnip for roasting

How I cut carrots for roasting

I like to cut the carrots on alternating diagonals for a bit of visual interest and also because more surface area = more caramelisation = more flavour!

  • How to cut carrots for roasting
  • How to cut carrots for roasting

How I cut red onion for roasted vegetables

Cut the red onion into 2 – 2.5cm / 1″ squares. To do this, I cut the onion in half, then each half into 3 – 4 wedges (depending on size). Then I cut the wedges into 3 or 4 pieces.

How I make roasted vegetables

To make roasted vegetables, I separate the onion and from rest of the vegetables because onions take less time in the oven.

How to make roasted vegetables
  1. Toss red onion with olive oil, salt and pepper in a separate bowl to the other vegetables, then set aside. We will add these onto the tray 30 minutes into the roasting time;

  2. Remaining vegetables – Place the remaining vegetables in a separate bowl with the smashed garlic, thyme sprigs and hand torn sage (just tear the leaves off with hands, break sprigs in half). Toss it all with the oil, salt and pepper.

    You will be surprised how much herb and garlic flavour is imparted to the roast vegetables using whole herbs/garlic instead of minced which you might be used to. As noted above, this works better because minced garlic/herbs just burns. Nobody wants bitter little bits of garlic littered throughout their sweet roasted vegetables … but everyone wants THIS ↓↓↓(“this” being sweet caramelised roasted garlic!).

Close up photo of roasted garlic
Roasted garlic in the skin. Squeeze and pop into your mouth – you’ll love the sweet, caramelised garlic flavour!
  1. Oven 30 minutes – Spread the vegetables on a large roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). If you want to reduce clean up, line the tray with paper. But it’s not essential because we are using sufficient oil so the vegetables will not stick.

  2. Add red onion – After 30 minutes, add red onion then give everything a quick toss.

  3. Roast 60 minutes – Roast for a further 60 minutes, tossing halfway.

    1 1/2 hours total roasting time might sound like a long time for roasted vegetables. But the longer roasting time at a slightly lower temperature than the hot ovens some recipes call for means the vegetables have time to sweeten which makes them all the more delicious!

  4. Sprinkle with parsley if desired, then serve immediately!

Tray of Roasted Vegetables fresh out of the oven
Fork picking up roasted carrots and potatoes

I don’t think you need me to tell you what to serve roasted vegetables with. (Answer is – everything and anything!)

And while they are excellent as a side, don’t underestimate the deliciousness of a big bowl of roasted vegetables as a meal in itself (and a guilt-free one, no less.) It is literally what I just had for lunch not 1 hour ago! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up of tray of Roasted Vegetables fresh out of the oven

Roasted Vegetables

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Sides
4.91 from 33 votes
Servings5 – 6 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Knowing how to make Roasted Vegetables well is a life essential! For best results? Don't mix root vegetables with high moisture vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. Use smashed whole garlic cloves instead of minced which just burns. Same for herbs.
And roast in a moderate rather than hot oven so they have time to sweeten and caramelise evenly!
I like this mix of vegetables for colour, flavour and texture. Plus (other than the onion) they roast in the same time which keeps things simple.
See recipe notes for variations, including other vegetables, herbs etc. Use this recipe for any roast-able vegetables, but separate starchy/dense from watery vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 400g / 14oz small potatoes , skin on (10 or so)
  • 2 carrots , medium/large, peeled
  • 1 large parsnip (250g/8oz), peeled
  • 1 red onion , large, peeled (200g / 7oz)
  • 5 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 1)
  • 5 thyme sprigs
  • 3 sage sprigs
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Garnish:

  • 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped

Instructions

Cutting vegetables:

  • Potatoes – Cut in half. (For large, cut into 3 or 4)
  • Carrots – Cut into 3cm / 1.2" triangles on the diagonal (see diagram in post).
  • Parsnip – Cut into 4cm / 1.5" lengths. Then cut into batons / chunks so they are roughly equal size (see diagram in post).
  • Red onion – Cut in half, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Then in cut into 3 or 4 so you get 2cm/ 0.8" squares.
  • Smashed garlic – Place side of knife on unpeeled garlic clove. Hit firmly with palm of hand so the garlic bursts open a bit but mostly stays in tact.

Roasting:

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
  • Onion – Toss onion in one bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch of the salt and pepper. Set aside – we add these later.
  • Other vegetables – Put all other vegetables, thyme and garlic in a separate bowl. Tear sage leaves and stems with hands, add into bowl. Toss with remaining oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a large baking tray.
  • Roasting – Roast 30 minutes. Add onion, toss vegetables. Roast for a further 1 hour, tossing halfway, until cooked through with golden edges.
  • Garnish & serve – Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Smashed Garlic – This method of smashing opening garlic releases garlic flavour into the vegetables as they roast but keeps the garlic whole so a) it won’t burn like minced garlic does; and b) you get to squeeze out the slow roasted garlic and eat it – it’s so good!!
2. Herbs – I’ve used Sage and thyme here which are two herbs that do well to impart subtle flavour when roasted. Being a hardier herb, rosemary would also work well here.

More delicate herbs like oregano, chives, marjoram, basil etc, can’t withstand oven cooking. Instead, sprinkle over the vegetables once roasted.

Dried herbs option – Dried herbs will work just fine too, but they won’t add flavour in the same way fresh herbs do. To use dried herbs, just add when tossing with salt and pepper.
3. Other vegetables – Of course, other vegetables work! But I do recommend roasting starchy / root / hard veg (potatoes, carrot, parsnip) separately from high moisture / soft vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, capsicum / bell peppers) because they call for different roasting times. Also, nobody wants juice accidentally bursting out from eggplant making their potatoes wet!
Add hard veg at the beginning, softer veg later. Here are some guides.
Other hard veg (same roasting time per recipe, cut into similar sizes)
  • Sweet potato
  • Turnip
  • Swedes
Soft Veg – Roasting time required at temp in recipe (don’t crowd the pan else they just sweat instead of browning)
  • Capsicum / bell peppers – 2.5cm / 1″ squares, 20 minutes
  • Mushrooms (large) – halved, 40 minutes
  • Pumpkin, squash – 4cm / 1.5″ cubes, 30 minutes
  • Zucchini – 4cm / 1.5″ chunks, 25 minutes
  • Eggplant – See this recipe for best method
  • Jerusalem artichokes – halved, 40 minutes
  • Fennel – 2cm / 1″ slices, 45 minutes

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 209cal (10%)Carbohydrates: 25g (8%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Sodium: 492mg (21%)Potassium: 592mg (17%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 4261IU (85%)Vitamin C: 29mg (35%)Calcium: 47mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Roasted vegetables
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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He’s taken to eating MUD. Clearly I’m not feeding him enough!!

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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124 Comments

  1. Marette Schulz says

    November 20, 2023 at 7:09 pm

    There were no brussel sprouts or parsnip at Coles today ( prob out of season )…but they would be fantastic to add to the mix as well…..so we have baby spuds,pumpkin,onions,baby carrots,cauliflower,garlic cloves and thyme/sage from the herb garden. Oooooh😁

    Reply
  2. Marette Schulz says

    November 20, 2023 at 7:04 pm

    5 stars
    I hate oily hands and love a ONE movement recipe, soo, I bung all the chopped vege/herbs into a freezer bag…use tiny whole onions instead of chopped and add the s&p and the oil….scrunch it around and spill it out. It’s in the oven as I write, and can’t wait to have it with the left over Sunday roast chook. ALL these recipes are so ‘adaptable’ to ones time/taste and preferences. Thanks👌

    Reply
  3. susan d costley says

    August 11, 2023 at 9:41 am

    Roasted at 200 for 2 hours. Never again. Did not caramelize at all. I’ve made them before at 400 and they were sweet and tender. We added more oil and seasonings and they are back in the oven at 400. Spent so much on the veggies. Hope they finally come out the way they should.

    Reply
    • Mar says

      October 9, 2023 at 12:36 pm

      400°C?

      Reply
    • Yummy in my tummy says

      September 9, 2023 at 3:15 am

      5 stars
      How did they turn out? Do you use a Fahrenheit oven? I think that could have been your mistake, as recipe meant 200° Celsius, which is equivalent to 400° Fahrenheit.

      Reply
  4. Max says

    August 1, 2023 at 9:38 am

    5 stars
    Sweet potato is a must

    Reply
  5. Kiah says

    May 18, 2023 at 8:11 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve always thought, how hard are roast veggies. They never turned out anything like this recipe. Cannot believe how amazing they were!

    Reply
  6. Margery Rivera says

    May 10, 2023 at 10:36 am

    5 stars
    Another Nagi hit! We wanted to increase our vegetable intake and this will be our new go to. Husband said they wet he best roasted vegetables he’s ever had. Will add this to our regular rotation.

    Reply
  7. P says

    February 24, 2023 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    I wanted to up my roast veggies game and have made this recipe several times. I get asked to make roast veggies all the time now! So simple and so good.

    Reply
  8. Jan says

    January 25, 2023 at 2:46 am

    2 stars
    Followed recipe exactly. Vegetables were ready at different times and needed to be removed to prevent overcooking.

    Reply
  9. Alice says

    December 14, 2022 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious… although next time will have to add more garlic….haha… I ate all the little bulbs while tossing them during their last half hour of cooking

    Reply
  10. Robert Lincoln Ingham says

    August 12, 2022 at 12:13 am

    5 stars
    How long would you suggest for roasting Brussel sprouts? Thank you.

    Reply
  11. Colleen says

    July 23, 2022 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    These are fantastic roast veggies. For 7 people though I scaled this up to 12 servings (1kg potatoes, 5 carrots, 3 parsnips). A parsnip hater has been converted. No need to par boil or steam – simple & delicious

    Reply
  12. Blitzo says

    July 11, 2022 at 8:29 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, always wanted to your recipe and I successfully make it. That is why I always give you 5 star . Thank you so much.

    Reply
  13. Ellie says

    July 3, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    I do mine almost identically, except for tossing with herbs, but I only roast them for 30 min on 220°℃ and they are cooked perfectly, although not caramelised. I’m keen to try this but worried about burning them.

    Reply
  14. Patricia says

    June 10, 2022 at 11:31 am

    5 stars
    It was very easy to prepare and tasted delicious! Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Marilyn says

    March 26, 2022 at 6:13 am

    5 stars
    The Best roasted vegetables I’ve ever made! Navi, you are the best! Everything I make of yours is tremendously delicious and I love all the pics and details you add. Made ahead to take along to a salmon bbq. Garlic idea was awesome, I’ll always leave whole from now on.

    Reply
  16. Jo says

    March 21, 2022 at 12:23 am

    5 stars
    These vegetables turned out wonderful. Next time I’ll just throw in the entire bulb of garlic because we were all fighting over them 😂 I made a Moroccan chicken to go along with the veggies and it was a perfect pairing. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 21, 2022 at 1:30 pm

      I am happy that you enjoyed it Jo! N x

      Reply
  17. Fran says

    February 27, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,
    Thank you so much for your excellent recipe.
    You mention Dozer is eating mud – its a sign of mineral deficiency. Shark cartilage or some sardines (in springwater) in his diet would really help with that. He’s a beautiful boy.
    Thanks again for the yummy, healthy meals.
    best regards
    fran

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 27, 2022 at 3:03 pm

      Hi Fran – thanks for that info! He gets sardines in springwater in his food every day! I am glad you enjoy the recipes! N x

      Reply
  18. Darren says

    February 3, 2022 at 10:05 am

    Had to lower the temp to 350 half way through. And I dropped the total cooking time to about 70 mins instead of the 90 mins suggested.

    But in the end they came out incredible and was loved by all.

    Reply
  19. Tanya says

    January 9, 2022 at 3:20 pm

    Great! Explains so much.Thank you

    Reply
  20. Liz says

    December 25, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Great recipe! First time I’ve ever cooked turkey and it turned out perfectly – got loads of compliments.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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