Best Roasted Root Vegetables | An Easy & Healthy Side Dish Recipe! (2024)

Baked until tender and caramelized, these roasted root vegetables are an easy and healthy fall side dish. These hearty and healthy winter veggies are seasoned with fresh garlic and herbs and have a rich, earthy flavor that only comes from slow-roasting.

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love This Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe
• Ingredients Needed
• How to Make Roasted Root Vegetables
• Tips and Tricks
• What to Serve With Root Veggies
• How to Store and Reheat Leftover Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Can You Freeze This Recipe?
• More Easy Vegetable Sides
• Get the Recipe

See Also

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Why You’ll Love This Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe

These root veggies are tender enough to cut with a fork, but firm enough that they still have some nice texture when you bite into them. Here’s why you’ll love this vegetarian side dish.

• Easy: Side dishes should be easy, and that’s exactly what these roasted root veggies are. The recipe takes a little over an hour to make, but the vegetables are roasting for most of that time. All you really have to do is prepare and season the veggies, the oven does the rest!
• Hearty and Flavorful: We love mixing up a bunch of vegetables to roast together because it guarantees we will leave the dinner table full and happy. Each veggie is roasted until tender and the edges are almost caramelized from the natural sugar in root vegetables. Using fresh herbs, garlic, salt and freshly cracked pepper will ensure everything is well seasoned.
• Goes with Everything: One of the best things about root vegetables? They’re incredibly versatile and pair well with just about everything. You can serve them with a cozy meal on a cold winter’s day, or as a side at a summer picnic. And they really shine as part of a holiday feast!
• Healthy: Each bite is loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals your body needs from the carrots, parsnips, radishes, sweet potatoes, and leeks. And just as importantly, there are no unhealthy ingredients used in this recipe either.

Ingredients Needed

These are the ingredients that you’ll need to make these sweet and garlicky roasted veggies. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Leeks: Leeks tend to have a lot of dirt in them because of how they are grown. Make sure and rinse thoroughly.
• Sweet Potatoes: Peeled and cubed. You can also use regular potatoes or baby potatoes.
• Radishes: Sliced in half. Raw radishes have a peppery flavor but when you roast them, they mellow and become more like a little juicy cooked potato, without adding the carbs.
• Parsnips: If you have small young parsnips, they do not have to be peeled. Mine were medium to large so I peeled them.
• Carrots: Peeled or not, it’s up to you.
• Olive Oil: Avocado oil also works well.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic will give you the most flavor.
• Rosemary: We used fresh rosemary, but you can use any herb you enjoy. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use 1 teaspoon dried herbs instead.
• Salt & Pepper: Freshly cracked pepper will give you the most flavor.

How to Make Roasted Root Vegetables

As the natural sugar in the veggies cooks, they’ll start to slowly caramelize in the oven, creating a side dish that strikes a perfect balance between sweet and savory.

• Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F, then line or grease a baking sheet.
• Season the veggies. Toss all the veggies together with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Place them on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast. Bake the root veggies in the oven until fork tender, about 40-50 minutes, then serve.

Tips and Tricks

This roasted root vegetable recipe is so easy, but here are a few ways that you can make it even easier!

• More Root Vegetables: It’s best to think of this recipe as a guideline that you can easily make your own by adding more, or swapping, different vegetables. If you don’t have all the root vegetables on the ingredient list, or if they’re not in season where you live, swap them out. Here are some other root veggies that are great to use: turnips, potatoes, onions, or beets. However, be warned that purple beets will stain all the other veggies, for better or for worse!
• Rotate If Needed: Keep an eye on your veggies. Some ovens don’t heat evenly, in which case the vegetables might roast unevenly. If you notice that one side of the baking sheet is cooking more quickly than the other side, just rotate it halfway through roasting.
• Clean Veggies: Since root veggies grow underground, they tend to be pretty dirty. Make sure you clean them thoroughly and/or peel them, as needed.
• Season On The Baking Sheet: This recipe instructs you to season the veggies in a mixing bowl, then place them on the baking sheet. But if you want to make a mess-free recipe even more mess-free, you can just do all the work directly on the sheet pan. You’ll just have to use your hands to mix the veggies instead of a spoon.
• Spread Evenly: Make sure you spread all the root vegetables evenly across the baking sheet. It’s okay they are touching, but you don’t want them to be too-crowded or piled on top of each other.

What to Serve With Root Veggies

You can serve these garlicky, caramelized vegetables with pretty much any dinner. But we think they’re best served alongside a hearty, meaty entree like these juicy pan fried pork chops, easy meatloaf, or the best beef tips and gravy. They also go great with chicken dishes, like this 20-minute skillet chicken and gravy, or these stuffing stuffed chicken breasts for a perfect comforting fall-style dinner.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Roasted Winter Vegetables

These tender veggies will last in the fridge for 5 days as long as they’re stored in an airtight container. To reheat, throw them in a 400°F oven until warm all the way through, which should take about 5 to 10 minutes. You can also microwave them in 30-second increments, until sufficiently heated.

Can You Freeze This Recipe?

You can definitely freeze these easy, hearty roasted root vegetables. Let them cool completely, then add them to an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw or defrost completely before you reheat them.

More Easy Vegetable Sides

Side dishes are a great way to add healthy veggies to your dinner plate. Here are a few more easy vegetable side dishes for you to try out.

• Skillet Fried Corn
• Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Bacon
• Stewed Okra and Tomatoes
• Roasted Green Beans
• Roasted Baby Potatoes