Fall In Love With Roasted Vegetables

Oh my GOSH I love the fall season so so so much! Even though here in Georgia it only drops by 5 degrees from summer to fall, I feel like the slight variation gives me permission to crank up the oven and start my fall and winter cooking regimen.

An absolute favorite staple that keeps us well fed October through February is the Roasted Vegetable. I mean to say, these suckers can get you through breakfast, lunch, and dinner feeling satisfied and healthy!

A couple weeks ago fall fooled me with a day or two of cool weather. I raced to the farmers market and brought home a big ‘ol bunch of root vegetables, squash, bell peppers, mushrooms and eggplant. I peeled, and sliced, and chunked my way through a heaping pile of beautiful food. Roasted vegetables are pretty on the plate, they’ll last in the fridge for a few days, plus they’re easy on the wallet. How can you go wrong with this? I’m happy to share my simple recipe with you, plus I’ll show you how I used this fall staple in four different meals!

carrot, red bell, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potato, baby portobellos, and eggplant

Though it may not look like a lot, once sliced and diced, this cornucopia right here filled up two half-sheet pans! I knew it would make a lot, but that’s OK because I had some big plans for these babies.

Some veg, olive oil, salt ‘n pepper are all you need to prepare a lovely batch of roasted veg.

Here’s the easy, no frills way I make roasted veg:

• Pick up a bunch of your favorite fresh vegetables. If you’re new to this, try choosing one each of the following: yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potato, 8 oz pack of mushrooms, bell pepper, 2-3 large carrots, and eggplant. Of course these are to be used at your discretion. If you don’t like eggplant, please by all means, don’t use eggplant!
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Peel your carrots, potato, and eggplant. **Eggplant may sometimes have bitter-tasting skin so I like to chuck it just in case.
• Grab your cutting board and go to town on chopping and chunking your vegetables.
  • **A potato is more dense than say a squash or mushroom, therefore I recommend chunking the potatoes and carrots 50% smaller than you do the rest of the veg.
• Place the veg in a large mixing bowl that allows you enough space to toss without bits and pieces flying out. **Take a look at my mixing bowl above – it was NOT big enough for tossing, so I lost a few good souls to the floor that afternoon.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat all veg.
• Add about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, a couple pinches of cracked black pepper, and toss for even distribution. Add more or less if you like.
• Place the vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (or casserole dish, or pie dish, or pizza pan, or whatever!)
• Roast in your toasty oven for at least 30 minutes, or until your vegetables are fork tender and nicely caramelized.

My oven magically reached 425 degrees at exactly 4:25 pm. To say that I was excited about the coincidence is an understatement.

One pan of roasted vegetables in FOUR different meals (This is my favorite part!)

Dinner #1 : Grilled pork loin accompanied by roasted veg and parmesan risotto. Oh my gosh was this ever so delicious!

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with roasted veg and cheddar, watermelon, and oatmeal toast.

Lunch: Grilled chicken stuffed with smoked gouda and roasted veg, accompanied by grilled fig and sauced with spicy ginger aioli. Dinner #2: Teriyaki salmon with [roasted veg] wild rice, and asparagus.

If you have any questions about this awesome fall favorite of mine, please ask! Let me know and I’ll be happy to share more details on the 4 dishes I put together.