Carrots and sweet potatoes, tossed with olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes and oven roasted.

Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

I love roasted vegetables, and this is the time of year - when you don't mind turning on your oven - to get your fill of them!

Roasting really brings out the natural sweetness and enhances the overall flavor of vegetables and you just can't beat the ease of preparation.

This is a good place to insert a quick reminder... that this is a blog, not just a "recipe site," and yes, there is a difference! I want to first thank all of you who have supported my work over the years. Your notes to me are uplifting and encouraging, however, if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such in a post, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!

• High heat is the key, somewhere between 400- and 450-degrees F - although that will depend on the vegetables also. Here I'm using two very firm root vegetables so I'm hitting the higher end of the spectrum.

• With mixed vegetables, cook them in stages, starting first with the firmer root vegetables - like carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash and potatoes - and cut them fairly uniform in size.

• Use a fairly shallow pan so that air can circulate all around the vegetables. You don't want a high sided pan.

• Avoid crowding the vegetables or else you'll steam them more than roast them, so use an appropriately sized pan to give them plenty of room.

• Go easy with the oil. You only want enough to gently coat everything, not drown them.

• Turn or stir them about halfway through the process.

• Add in the more tender veggies - like green beans, asparagus, and other faster cooking vegetables toward the end.

You can oven roast all kinds of vegetables, and you can even do them together, though the key is understanding the order in which to add them.

Good roasting candidates are:

• Winter Veggies: Sweet potatoes, eggplant, Yukon gold and russet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, turnips, parsnips, onion, rutabaga, brussels sprouts

• Summer Veggies: New potatoes, carrots, red, yellow or green bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, summer squash, zucchini, corn, eggplant, mushrooms, green beans.

I chose a basic side dish of carrots with sweet potatoes today, served with some roasted chicken legs brushed with barbecue sauce and a side salad.

Here's how to make these Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below. 

Place oven rack in the center of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut into fairly uniform pieces and place into a bowl. I find it easier to coat them well using a separate bowl, rather than trying to coat them on the baking sheet.

Place carrots and sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. 

Add salt and red pepper flakes; toss to evenly coat, adding more olive oil if needed to coat everything.

Transfer vegetables to a rimmed, shallow baking pan and spread out, leaving space between them. 

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Test with the tip of a knife for tenderness and add additional time as needed. Serve immediately.

Unable to view the printable below on your device? Tap/click here.

Posted by Mary on February 7, 2022

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