Roasting Vegetables

Every time I roast vegetables, they come out differently. After this last batch, where I thought I understood how to get them tender in the middle and crunchy on the outside, I decided it was time to do some research!

The first article I found online was, “Everything You Need to Know About Roasting Vegetables.” Of course, after I read the article and took notes, I was unable to find it again! Phooey! However if you type that title into your search engine, you will find many more articles to search through!

This article was a good review of things I already knew, like how to cut the vegetables, what temperature to roast the vegetables (400 to 425 degrees) and how to not crowd the baking sheet. That third suggestion seemed to be the crux of my problem! When I chopped up vegetables the other night, I did separate the potatoes from the vegetables. They came out great!

I found a great YouTube video from a woman in Australia (I think) with details about what kind of potatoes work best, the benefits of parboiling, and what kind of oil (or butter, lard, duck fat) gave them the best flavor. It was a very informative video! (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pigPB9xE4j4)

But then I chopped a whole bowl of assorted vegetables…kind of like I do when I’m making vegetable soup! I ended up with a bowlful of “assorted vegetables” that were too thick on the baking sheet.

The vegetables could not be separated from each other (too crowded) and so some steamed while others burned at the tips!

I can see I need to work a little harder to roast fewer kinds of vegetables at once. My mindset that I can combine vegetables on one tray needs to change! I finally found a chart that could help me remember. I think I’ll post this someplace handy:

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How Long to Roast Vegetables at 425 degrees/F

Root vegetables: 30-45 min. (beets, white and sweet potatoes, carrots)

Winter squash: 20 min. (cubed) 45 min. (halved) (butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash)

Cruciferous vegetables: 15 to 25 min. (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)

Summer squash: 10 to 20 min. (Green & yellow zucchini)

Thin vegetables: 10 to 20 min. (asparagus, green beans, snap peas)

Soft vegetables: 15 to 25 min. (Cherry tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers)

(From: https://www.thekitchen.com/roasted-vegetable-cheat-sheet-2655019)

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Obviously, my major issue is that I try to do more than one kind of vegetable in the same pan. Of course they don’t all turn out great!

I’ll try to roast vegetables in groups with the timing suggested above. MAYBE my next batch will be more successful! Enjoy!