Maple roasted root vegetables

Hearty, lightly sweet, maple roasted root vegetables are an easy side dish that comes together in a single pan.

This recipe is a more grownup version of my kid-friendly vegetable roast. It ups the variety while still keeping things deliciously simple.

Table of Contents

• Recipe notes
• Variations
• How to serve and store
• Maple roasted root vegetables

Recipe notes

I wanted this recipe to be easy to make in a single pan. There isn't even a mixing bowl required.

You prepare this dish in the same pan that you use to bake it, and using baby carrots means less peeling and chopping. If you don't want to buy baby carrots, feel free to dice whole carrots into one-inch pieces instead.

You can also peel the sweet potato, if you prefer. I like the extra texture you get from leaving the peel on!

To make these roasted root vegetables, dice the sweet potato, red potato, and turnips and peel the garlic.

Now, add all of the vegetables to a 9x12" pan with the whole baby carrots. Toss them with olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and bake, pulling the pan out to stir the veggies and check for doneness every 10-15 minutes.

Stirring the root vegetables every 15 minutes is crucial to a good result. Not only does stirring help the veggies roast evenly, but when you stir, you get a chance to re-coat everything in any of the maple syrup that has slipped off during baking.

They're ready when they're all fork-tender and slightly browned.

Variations

The joy of this recipe is that you can mix things up to use what you have and what's in season. Just aim for roughly eight cups of diced root vegetables.

Feel free to replace the veggies listed with other root veggies. Here are some to try:

• red or golden beets
• parsnips
• rutabaga
• radishes (They get surprisingly sweet when you roast them!)
• winter squash

All of these work well using the same method in the recipe below.

How to serve and store

Another thing that I love about these maple roasted root vegetables is that, since they're so hearty, they can do double duty on the plate. No need to make a grain to go with these, unless you really want to. Just add your favorite plant based protein as a side!

Here are some pairing ideas for you:

• air fryer falafel
• vegan chicken fried tofu
• smoky Instant Pot pinto beans
• crispy baked tofu

Basically any plant based protein make a great side for these roasted root veggies!

These also make great salad toppers. Bring some warmth and heartiness to a green or grain salad with a dollop of maple roasted root vegetables!

If you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to five days. You can eat the leftovers cold over a green or grain salad or warm them up for a minute or two in the microwave to use as a side dish.