My oven roasted vegetables are truly the easiest way of cooking veggies with minimal work! This side dish is a huge time-saver for me for any weeknight meal or even when I’m meal prepping on the weekends. My kids love them because they’re delicious, and that makes me happy since it’s an easy way to pack in the nutrition.
I would say we make these veggies once a week! I roast 1-2 baking sheets of various vegetables and they’re always gone in seconds. I consider myself a roasted vegetable expert, so I’m also sharing my complete guide for roasting all different types and the length of time that it takes. You can’t go wrong serving them with miso glazed salmon or baked bbq chicken breasts.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy for meal prepping to enjoy throughout the week. Toss them into a lunch or reheat as a side dish at dinner. The veggies really do pair with almost any main course.
- Kids love roasted vegetables. I could never get my kids to eat raw veggies regularly, but once I roasted them with spices, they are gone in no time!
- Perfect way to clean out the fridge. Make a big batch of any vegetables leftover in the fridge on friday to eat over the weekend.
Tips for Busy Cooks
To cut down on prep time, buy pre-cut vegetables at the store. All you have to do is toss them with oil, salt, and seasonings and bake!
Ingredients
- Asparagus – Bright and fresh in flavor.
- Yellow summer squash and zucchini – Buttery and delicious when roasted.
- Bell peppers – Sweet and juicy to pair with the other savory vegetables.
- Cauliflower – Hearty and adds nice texture.
- Carrots – These melt in your mouth and are sweet like candy after roasting.
- Olive oil – Cooking oil for the veggies that helps them brown.
- Za’atar seasoning – This is one of my favorite seasonings, but you can use any spices you desire. I give a list below!
- Smoked paprika – Gives nice smokiness in every bite.
- Garlic powder – Adds a kiss of garlic flavor that we love.
Best vegetables for roasting
Roasting time largely depends on the vegetables and how big/small they were cut. When roasting vegetables, I divide them into 2 different types:
- Hard vegetables – root vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc.
- Soft vegetables – bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, summer squashes, onions, etc.
While hard vegetables need a long time to cook, soft vegetables take less time to cook. That’s why I suggest arranging the vegetables on multiple trays, pairing them up based on the cook time, so you can take out the veggies as they’re done. Check out my handy chart on cook times below.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Pair quick-cooking vegetables together on one sheet, and hard vegetables on a separate sheet. That way, you can easily remove the cooked ones without under-cooking the others.
Roasting vegetables in the oven
As I mentioned earlier, roasting vegetables is the easiest way to prepare lots of variety of vegetables. You can roast vegetables 2 ways:
Method #1 – This’s a perfect method for roasting lots of vegetables at once.
- Arrange chopped vegetables on separate baking sheets, grouping them together by cook time. For example, hard vegetables on one sheet, and quick-cooking ones on another. (See more details below on cook times.)
- Oil and season to taste and roast in preheated oven.
Method #2 – This is a great method for roasting not many vegetables with varying cook times.
- Place long-cooking vegetables on a baking sheet. Oil and season to taste. Roast in preheated oven.
- Half way through, stir the vegetables, add quick-cooking vegetables and continue roasting until all the vegetables are nice and tender. For example, arrange broccoli/cauliflower/carrots on a baking sheet, roast for 15 minutes, and then add bell peppers and cherry tomatoes for the last 10 minutes.
How to make oven roasted vegetables
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Trim and slice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the veggies on separate baking sheets, dividing them into quick-cooking vegetables (squashes, asparagus, sweet peppers) or hard vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli). Toss each sheet pan of veggies with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasonings.
Roast the soft vegetables for 15-20 minutes, and hard vegetables for about 25-40 minutes, tossing once half way through. After removing the soft vegetables, transfer the hard vegetables to the middle rack to finish cooking. The vegetables should be fork-tender, and lightly charred.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Separating quick-cooking vegetables from hard vegetables allows you to cook different vegetables to perfection at once!
Expert Tips:
- Make sure you cut your veggies the same size. This makes for even roasting and guarantees they will be done cooking at the same time.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easy. Truly all you need to do is wash a single pan, it’s as easy as that!
- Make sure the vegetables aren’t overcrowded on the baking sheet, they will steam if so! You want to leave enough space so that they are able to brown easily and evenly.
- Preheat the oven to the full heat. To get the best flavor, you want to use high heat. 425°F is an ideal temperature for roasted vegetables.
- Don’t forget to oil the vegetables, or your roasted vegetables will look dry and sad. I prefer olive oil, but any kind of oil works great.
- Season the vegetables with your favorite seasoning. My current favorite is za’atar, but a simple mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder is perfect too!
- Arrange the vegetables on separate baking sheets based on cooking time. Quick cooking veggies on one tray, and hard vegetables on another. Also, don’t overcrowd the vegetables too much, or you’ll risk steaming the veggies instead of roasting.
- Toss the vegetables halfway through for even cooking.
Variations
You can totally keep your roasted vegetables simple with just salt and pepper. But if you want to change things up, you have a lot of options. Here’re my favorite seasonings:
- Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend of herbs and spices, most commonly composed of ground thyme, oregano, sumac, marjoram, and sesame seeds. It adds an interesting flavor profile with earthy undertones that complement the taste of vegetables.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powders are all fantastic options for seasoning roasted vegetables. Feel free to use a combination of different spices to create your own unique flavor profile.
Vegetable roasting times
Here is the table of vegetable roasting times for easy reference. You can download PDF version here.
15 to 20 minutes:
- asparagus
- bell peppers
- green beans
- mushrooms (sliced)
- tomatoes (grape or cherry)
- yellow summer squash (sliced)
25 to 30 minutes:
- beets
- broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- brussels sprouts (halved)
- cauliflower (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces or baby carrots)
- sweet potatoes (cut into bite sized pieces)
- winter squash
35 to 45 minutes:
- onions
- corn on the cob (husk on)
- potatoes
Storage
Store cooled oven roasted vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing roasted vegetables because once they thaw, the texture will be slimy.
Reheating roasted vegetables is simple. You an either use the microwave or skillet and warm them for a couple of minutes.
What to serve with oven roasted vegetables
The options are truly endless! Here are some of our favorite mains or other sides to pair them with to make a complete meal:
FAQs
Yes, you can roast frozen vegetables. Just make sure to thaw them first and pat them dry before roasting. You’ll also want to use a higher heat than when using fresh vegetables, as the frozen variety will require more time in the oven. Additionally, be sure to season generously before putting them in the oven for an extra flavorful result!
The best temperature to roast vegetables is between 400°F -425°F. Roasting at this temperature will give you crisp and lightly caramelized edges, and tender centers. Depending on the type of vegetable being roasted, it may be necessary to adjust the cooking time by increasing or decreasing the heat slightly until desired doneness is achieved.
You can roast almost all vegetables. Some are harder than others in texture, and therefore will take a longer time to cook.
Easy Oven Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus Note 1
- 1-2 yellow summer squash
- 1-2 zucchini
- 1-2 bell peppers
- 1 head cauliflower
- 4-5 carrots
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon za’atar seasoning or any seasoning of your choice (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- To prepare the vegetables, trim the ends of asparagus and cut into bite-size pieces. Trim the ends of yellow summer squash and zucchini and slice into half-moon shapes. Core the bell peppers and slice into thin strips. Peel carrots and cut them into ½-inch thick slices, slightly diagonally. Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
- To roast the veggies, arrange cauliflower and carrots on one baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle za'atar seasoning and paprika. Toss to combine and make sure the vegetables are all in one layer.
- On another baking sheet, combine asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash and bell peppers. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss to combine and make sure the vegetables are all in one layer.
- Place the baking sheet with quick-cooking vegetables on the middle rack, and the baking sheet with carrots and cauliflower on the lower rack.
- Roast the soft vegetables for 15-20 minutes, and hard vegetables for about 25-40 minutes, tossing once half way through. After removing the soft vegetables, transfer the hard vegetables to the middle rack to finish cooking.
- The vegetables should be fork-tender, and lightly charred.
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Notes
- Hard vegetables – root vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
- Soft vegetables – asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, summer squashes, onions, etc.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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