Roasted Vegetables 2.0
October 18, 2018 7:57 AM   Subscribe

Hooray! It's vegetable roasting season again! While I roast all kinds of veg, we mainly just eat them straight from the pan. What else can I/should I be doing with them? Ideas for either jazzing them up right after roasting or using up the leftovers are appreciated.

Generally, I coat the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until things start to brown on the edges.

I roast broccoli, califlower, fennel, white potatoes. sweet potatoes, peppers, carrots, green beans, mushrooms and squash. We've tried brussels sprouts, but just don't like them. I plan to attempt roasting some cabbage this season, too.
posted by sarajane to Food & Drink (54 answers total) 145 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I like to use leftover roasted veggies for breakfast in an egg bake. Put the roasted veggies in an oil-coated pan, whisk some eggs and pour them on top of the veggies, add some cheese if you like cheese, bake, and enjoy. I usually do 10 eggs in an 8x8 pan at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or so. It keeps for a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered pan on low.
posted by smich at 8:04 AM on October 18, 2018


We are newly obsessed with covering the top of the roast veg with a layer of kale for the last 15 mins.
posted by london explorer girl at 8:06 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


Roasted sweet potato and black bean burritos
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:11 AM on October 18, 2018 [7 favorites]


Best answer: Fresh lemon juice after they come out of the oven; sesame seeds.

Leftovers -> quiche, omelets.
posted by Dashy at 8:14 AM on October 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


Best answer: Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano is the friend of almost all roasted veg. Toasted nuts are also great. As is tossing them with a simple vinaigrette.

I like serving them over rice or quinoa.
posted by mmascolino at 8:17 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


I will add garlic powder to the salt and pepper for many vegetables. It really enhances cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower) and root vegetables like parsnips or sweet potatoes.
posted by philosophygeek at 8:18 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: A flavored yogurt sauce can be fantastic on roasted vegetables.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:20 AM on October 18, 2018 [13 favorites]


Best answer: My kid and I really like to toss our roasted vegetables in a lemon-mustard sauce--whatever juices or oil are in the pan (plus a little butter, if there's not much), a squirt of gulden's spicy brown mustard (my favorite), and a couple spoonfuls of the juice from our jar of preserved lemons, or just some lemon juice. Mix it up, toss with veggies. You need not very much of it, since they're pretty intense flavors. If you're using straight lemon juice, you could do worse than adding some capers to the mix.

Adding chickpeas to the roasting tray is a nice change, and a bowl of roasted veg and chickpeas is a meal in a way that a bowl of just roasted veg isn't, somehow.

Also, seconding roasted veg as a base for eggs--I just heat the veg and then top it with a fried egg.
posted by mishafletch at 8:20 AM on October 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


Best answer: excellent question, here is the answer, Ottolenghi's cauliflower with tahini. Use roasted cauliflower instead of fried, just make sure it's nice and brown. Use a good quality tahini, not the stuff from Trader Joe's.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:20 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


I toss them with pesto and serve them with pasta.
posted by quiet coyote at 8:22 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Super simple but very tasty, is add curry powder to the salt and oil you toss the cauliflower in before roasting (you do toss w plenty of salt and oil right?)
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:22 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Tossing with a mixture of maple syrup and fish sauce for the last few minutes of roasting is really good, particularly with winter squash and carrots. Tons of fresh parsley and mint added after roasting is great with everything.
posted by neroli at 8:27 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


If you're also roasting a chicken/pan searing something, drizzling and tossing in those tasty meat juices to the veg is pretty great.
posted by astapasta24 at 8:30 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: Also: garam masala is good with sweet potatoes; capers and chopped anchovies good with cauliflower.

For cabbage, you want to go past brown on the edges, and really char the hell out of it. Then lots of vinegar or lemon juice.
posted by neroli at 8:30 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Best answer: a) brown butter (just make it by the half-pound and keep in a jar in the fridge)
b) mustard-shallot vinaigrette (we use Trader Joe's orange muscat champagne vinegar, and sometimes I also add a shot of maple syrup)
c) roast, take them out and shower with fresh grated parm/parm reg/asiago/another hard cheese OR goat cheese crumbles or feta, then under the broiler for just a minute until the cheese begins to brown
d) make shakshuka and either stir in the already-roasted veg before the eggs go in or just serve shakshuka over the veg
e) agreed with the others that an egg - fried, poached, soft-boiled, soft-scrambled, baked - or two is great, and if you want the carbs do that over a bit of pasta or rice or toasted bread
f) roasted veg tacos, with your preferred trimmings (also keep a batch of curtido in the fridge to go with)

To add to your vegetable list: parsnips, turnips and/or rutabaga, you said "squash" but do you do both winter and summer?, endive, radishes (yes; they turn mild but still a little toothy).
posted by Lyn Never at 8:39 AM on October 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


Use a good quality tahini, not the stuff from Trader Joe's.

Fingersandtoes, can you recommend one (on Amazon maybe)?
posted by Dashy at 8:49 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: Leftover roasted vegs make soup. Keep broth around (ie make a ton and freeze it) or source a good quality bouillon. Saute some mushrooms and onions in a pot, put the broth in, throw in something green (spinach, kale, bok choy ...) if you want and the roasted vegs. Salt, pepper, whatever else tastes good. Delicious - and every time it will be a bit different. If you're in the mood for a creamier soup, an immersion blender works great.
(pro tip: a dash of Shichimi Togarashi, a Japanese red pepper/roasted orange peel/sesame seed/ginger mix, is amazing in soup)
posted by cfraenkel at 8:49 AM on October 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


I just tried a recipe for erzatz moussaka that used pre-roasted slices of eggplant; it was in a "cooking for one" book and was pitched towards "using up leftovers", so scale the recipe up as needed:

For each person, you need about a cup of cooked lamb (rare), chopped small; a small minced onion; three minced garlic cloves; and a couple chopped tomatoes, plus enough pre-roasted slices of eggplant to make two layers in a single-serve gratin dish.

Preheat the oven to about 375. Saute the onion, then throw in the garlic and tomatoes; let that saute a couple minutes, then throw in the lamb. When that's all heated through, then lay one layer of eggplant slices into the bottom of the gratin dish, spoon most of the lamb and tomato mixture on top (save a spoonful or two behind), then top with the second layer of eggplant and then top that with the rest of the lamb. Sprinkle on some bread crumbs and grated parmaesan, throw that in the oven for about 15 minutes, and then snarf it down.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:53 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: Fingersandtoes, can you recommend one (on Amazon maybe)?

Not Fingersandtoes but I highly recommend this one from Amazon. It's actually recommended by Ottolenghi himself in one of his books. It completely revolutionized my opinion of tahini. There's also a chocolate one that I eat straight from the jar.

Regarding the question itself, an assortment of roasted veggies is great for taco night. I like to spread out all the choices (plus some meat if you roll that way) and one really great sauce - a chimichurri, or a yogurt-garlic-tahini concoction or a really good herb mayonnaise. Takes things to the next level. Pickled red onions are a worthwhile addition too.
posted by peacheater at 8:55 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


Lots of good ideas above, so I won't repeat them, but my newest discovery is tossing them either before or after roasting (both work equally well) with harissa. You can make your own, but I find jarred to be good enough to not bother.
posted by General Malaise at 8:59 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Eating from the Ground Up has a bunch of roasted-vegetable-type recipes.
posted by praemunire at 9:02 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: Soft boiled egg, poached egg, fried egg. Any egg with a runny yolk.

We usually do some grain (polenta is a fav for roasted veg) roasted vegggies and some wilted greens all topped with an egg. It’s a pretty great bowl.
posted by furnace.heart at 9:02 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


Throw some apple in there with potatoes and squash.
Onion.
Whole grain mustard.

If you are looking to roast a cabbage I'd recommend baby bok choy.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 9:02 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


I like to chop them up and mix them into a simple pasta with olive oil, grated cheese and maybe a smidge of pesto but probably not.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:03 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Put leftovers in with salad leaves and add any/all of: roast chicken, feta, walnuts, pine nuts, for a really good salad.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:04 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Drizzle with balsamic reduction and a little sesame oil . Its soooo good.
posted by nantucket at 9:06 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Best answer: I'm also thrilled about the return of oven-roasted vegetable season.

For a mixture of white and/or sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, parsnips if I got 'em, small quartered red onions and whole garlic cloves that are smashed with the flat of knife, a few seasoning options I frequently use:

Toss them with olive oil and za'atar before roasting, and roast with some lemon slices on top so the lemons get all caramelized and delicious.

Toss them in maple syrup and olive oil mixed with some pureed chipotles and their adobo from a can - depending on how hot you want it, about a tablespoon of the chipotle puree is more than sufficient for a cake pan of roasted veg.

Maple syrup and rosemary is a nice combo too - dried rosemary works great because of the roasting time.

a) brown butter (just make it by the half-pound and keep in a jar in the fridge)

Just to add to this: try frying some fresh sage leaves in the butter as you brown it. They get all crispy and crumbly, and you can toss them and the brown butter into the veg.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:18 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Best answer: I make this sauce which is a knock off of a korean bbq company. It's great on all kinds of roasted vegetables.
posted by bilabial at 9:18 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: I like leftover roast veggies on a sandwich or wrap, either with goat cheese and maybe a little drizzle of ricotta, or with hummus.
posted by CiaoMela at 9:29 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


I asked a question a while ago about more ways to eat vegemite/marmite, and someone suggested putting it on cauliflower. Wow, delicious! (If you like vegemite.)

Turns out you can toss just about any roasted veg in vegemite and it turns out really yummy.
posted by phunniemee at 9:48 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Roast equal amounts halved brussels sprouts and squash cubes, and then add a couple fistfuls of pomegranate seeds right before serving. I made this last Thanksgiving and I loved it so much I kept making it all winter. The pomegranate ties the other two flavors together amazingly well, and it's also beautiful to look at.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:50 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: -You can add roasted vegitables in with some farro or wheatberries or Quinoa for a delicious warm salad bowl
-2 tablespoons of curry powder or curry paste + can of coconut mix + whatever roasted veg you have = DELICIOUS CURRY SO EASY
-nthing the egg bake thing
-nthing the lil bit of parm + Pasta
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:59 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Add smoked paprika to your pre-roast spice mix
Glaze with maple syrup (or maple plus a pinch of chili powder) in the last 5 minutes of the roast.
Drizzle or dip in sauces including: tahini-lemon sauce, chipotle mayo (or sriracha mayo or homemade aioli), romesco sauce
posted by ourobouros at 10:25 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I have started to sub half the pasta in my pasta dishes with roasted cauliflower (I particularly like using purple cauliflower). So I'll do half penne, half roasted cauliflower with red sauce, often with a some combo of sauteed greens, mushrooms, olives, sometimes Italian sausage.
posted by vunder at 10:32 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Peacheater, unfortunately your link isn't working, but looking forward to the rec when you've fixed it. I've seen Ottolenghi recommend sticking with Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese brands; and avoiding the Greek ones. I use Achva but I get it in my neighborhood import grocery. I tried the TJ's stuff last time I made hummus and it is not the same.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:34 AM on October 18, 2018


Looking forward to a working link too! I've eaten a very, very good version of Ottolenghi's tahini yogurt carrot thing, and when I tried to make it, it wasn't nearly as good. I'd suspect it was whatever tahini I bought.
posted by Dashy at 10:37 AM on October 18, 2018


a quick google shows that Ottolenghi sells this one in his own shop so that's gotta be an endorsement.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:39 AM on October 18, 2018


I love these mini chicken pot pies that use leftover roasted root vegetables and chicken. It calls for leftovers, but I roast the vegetables specifically for this. They are delicious with roasted carrots, parsnips and onions, but you could use pretty much anything. I also just bake some chicken breasts in the oven for the meat, or use a rotisserie chicken from the store.

I make up giant batches of the filling and freeze it, then just reheat, top with the puffed pastry and bake.
posted by thejanna at 11:08 AM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Nom Nom Paleo's Roasted Broccoli Bagna Cauda is just about the best thing in the world. Make twice as much as you think you'll want and try not to eat it all from the sheet pan before it hits the table!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 11:38 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]


Oh shoot, sorry about the borked link up there. Here's the link to the tahini I meant to post.
posted by peacheater at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Holy moly - you guys are awesome! Bring on the cold weather - Roasted Veggies for DAYS! Thank you!
posted by sarajane at 11:52 AM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: I have eaten two entire heads of broccoli in one sitting after tossing florets and stems in olive oil, a generous amount of a high quality curry power blend, and a VERY generous amount of nutritional yeast.
posted by missmary6 at 12:55 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Toss with honey and sriracha pre-roasting.
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:16 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Oven roasted ratatouille + chopped hard boiled egg + tahini + whole wheat wrap has been my jam for the past four months
posted by romakimmy at 2:02 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Balsamic vinegar, the good stuff. You don’t need a million dollar bottle, but I am talking about the stuff that’s aged and sweet, that you could sip a little cup of, not the $3 stuff from the grocery store. Drizzle your veggies with it lightly; it is a thing of beauty.
posted by telepanda at 6:29 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You don't specify vegetarian, right? Add bacon. Roast veg. with bacon fat. Get pancetta that isn't sliced too thin, chunk it up, add at the end. Add some kielbasa.

Roast veg. lose a lot of moisture and the flavor deepens. Try roasting onions; they get so sweet. I like to add salsa, ideally fresh, but jarred is okay, or pesto, or garlic mayo, or a splash of balsamic vinegar. or dip roasted broccoli in any tasty dip.
posted by theora55 at 7:33 PM on October 18, 2018


Best answer: One more thing ... if you're a roast lover, two quarter sheet pans (instead of one big half sheet) is a game changer for all manner of sheet pan cooking.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 9:27 PM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Roasted potatoes with chimichurri sauce!
posted by SinAesthetic at 11:02 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


The miso-tahini dressing from this recipe is amazing, but yes, you need good Tahini. It's creamy a little sweet, a lot umami, and just perfect for pouring over any roasted vegetables.

Another thing I like to do is mix them with boiled pasta, some olive oil, and parmesan. It's a good meal for leftovers. Make sure you roast some garlic and include it.

When I'm really in the food prep flow, I'll roast a couple pans of veggies on the weekend, dice them up, and use them in everything, including:

- Quesadillas or grilled cheese sandwiches
- Pizza made with frozen naan bread (carmelized onions make this amazing)
- Salads
- Omeletes
- Rice bowls with some sort of protein and a sauce (the miso-tahini one above usually)
posted by lunasol at 1:01 PM on October 19, 2018


I was also going to recommend soups. The flavor is fantastic. I usually blend about half the roast vegetables I add into the base/stock.

My only other comment was going to be that I once read an interview with a chef who wrote a book on meal planning, and basically her secret was roasting a lot of vegetables at the beginning of the week. She put them in everything. Salads, soups, pastas, casseroles, sides, dips, sauces... everything. It's a great way of turning a five minute meal into one that tastes like it took hours and hours to prepare.
posted by xammerboy at 12:02 AM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]


This is one of my favorite roasted veg recipes ever: Beets and carrots chopped into bite sized pieces, tossed in garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until al dente with charred edges. Remove from the oven and toss with coarsely chopped fresh herbs (I use cilantro, parsley, arugula, and chives), goat or feta cheese, and lemon juice. Best served hot, but it's delicious cold as well!
posted by hasna at 7:43 AM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]


We've been roasting our vegetables with gnocchi lately. Don't even boil them first, just drop them on a sheet pan and roast with the veggies. They get all crispy and delicious.
posted by lilac girl at 12:37 PM on October 20, 2018


We toss vegetables in coconut oil and then use garlic salt or Tony Chachere's creole seasoning. I'm looking for a way to minimize clean up without wasting a sheet of foil each time we cook this.
posted by craniac at 4:29 AM on October 22, 2018


I'm looking for a way to minimize clean up without wasting a sheet of foil each time we cook this.

Silpat or any other silicone baking sheet is your answer. They're non-stick, reusable forever, and they clean up with a quick swipe of the sponge.
posted by ourobouros at 5:37 AM on October 22, 2018


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