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As I mentioned in my article about using winter veggies, part of the reason people hesitate to try new vegetables is that they honestly have no idea how to cook them. Because we’ve always been the adventurous type, some of my family’s favorites are turnips, celeriac, rutabaga, and, of course, onion.
All of these are root vegetables, and with the exception of the onion, all can be treated just like a potato. You can mash them, slice them and fry them, add them to stew, puree them into a soup, or you can roast them. (Turnip fries are A-MAZ-ING!)
Roasting tones down the more pungent flavors and makes them a bit sweeter and milder. (Although rutabagas are always sweet and mild.)
Go here to learn more about prepping your winter veggies before you cook them.
Recipe: Random Roasted Winter Vegetables with Herbs
This recipe is very flexible – you’re just going to use what you have on hand. Therefore, I did not include a lot of measurements – eyeball it like the bad-to-the-bone frugal cook that you are. ?
Ingredients:
- 3-5 cups of chopped, peeled root vegetables, any proportion: turnips, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, celeriac, rutabagas, beets, onion – whatever you have available
- 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
- Minced garlic to taste
- Seasonings of choice: minced garlic, chopped onion, salt, fresh cracked pepper, parsley, thyme, Hungarian paprika, and celery seed. If you have fresh herbs, throw those in, too. You can also use a general seasoning salt or a mixture like Mrs. Dash
- 2-3 pieces of bacon (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Once they’re peeled and cut into chunks, put the vegetables in a large bowl and use a rubber spatula to toss them with some olive oil and the seasoning of your choice.
- Spread them on a large cookie sheet.
- You can add a few slices of bacon to the top of our mixture if you eat meat, but that’s entirely optional.
- Slide the tray of veggies onto the top rack of the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes.
- You’ll want to stir the veggies once or twice during the roasting time to ensure they don’t stick and that they get deliciously golden brown on all sides.
- When they’re done, they should be fork-tender, but lightly crisp on the outside.
If you have leftovers (we never do!) you can puree them and add them to potato soup for a hearty winter meal. Alternatively, pop them back in a 400-degree oven to reheat them and keep the glorious texture.
Do you roast winter vegetables?
What veggies are your favorite to include? How do you season them? Share your thoughts below.
5 thoughts on “Random Roasted Winter Vegetables with Herbs”
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite options tossed in olive oil with garlic, salt & pepper.
Daisy, thank you so much for posting this recipe! It has made me excited about eating and hopefully growing root vegetables!
Daisy, nailed it! One of those good hearty meals that makes you feel rich and blessed.
Potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, chopped, tossed with whatever oil or grease on hand, garlic salt and pepper to taste, then oven baked until they start smelling good. Warms the house and the diners. If you’ve got it, you can grate some cheese or use Parmesan sprinkles on top. Just hand everybody a bowl and a fork. Next night’s dinner is some type of meat with the leftovers mashed and some homemade gravy added. In fact, for meatless nights we pour gravy on top and even the carnivores don’t complain if you call it crust-less pot pie. It costs so little compared to meat that you can give everybody seconds and fill them up, and the fiber keeps them full.
Thanks for the inspiration Daisy! I roasted my first turnip a few days ago and it was amazing. Will be doing a big root roast next time I get to the store. Beets, carrots, more turnip, parsnips, whatever I can find! I had always wondered what turnips were like and you gave me the oomph to try them.
Thank you again!
Thanks for this. Ive never tried roasting vegetables before and they came out of the oven with a fantastic taste. Im going to be cooking all my potatoes this way for a long time to come. I added the leftovers to a stew which I made the next day. Really tasty. Thanks, cliff.