Roasting Vegetables

Since times immemorial, we have heard doctors say that green vegetables should be a regular part of our diet irrespective of our age. But who loves eating green vegetables? The answer would be a big no for most of us! While we were forced to gulp down the boring veggies when we were young, as adults we gorge on them with the sole purpose of staying fit and healthy, and not because we love them. After all, who would love eating plates and plates of bland veggies. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our regular vegetable dish became tasty and also remained healthy? Roasted vegetables are the perfect answer to taste and health. Roasting gives a sweet flavor and a lovely brown color to the vegetables, which makes it wonderful to the palate. Moreover, roasting also helps to retain the essential nutrients present in vegetables. Roasting works well for all kinds of vegetables from the ones which contain a lot of water like mushroom and asparagus to the ones that are essentially hard like carrots and potatoes. Here is a step by step process on how to roast vegetables:

 

Choose the vegetables that you would like to roast. Normally, it is the hard varieties of vegetables that taste the best when roasted.

 

The vegetables to be roasted should first be washed thoroughly so that there is no dirt on them. Next cut the vegetables into thick chunks or pieces. Some of them can be cut into thick slices.

 

Before placing the vegetables on the baking dish or the roasting pan, make sure that the surface is greased well. Your baking dish should not be very deep, just enough for the veggies to be placed in. You can place a parchment paper on the surface of the baking dish to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan in case of excessive drying.

 

The oven should be preheated to 450°F before roasting the vegetables.

 

Marinate your vegetables with olive oil. This is done to prevent the vegetables from drying up while roasting inside the oven. You may also add other flavoring agents like pepper and salt to taste before placing the baking dish in the oven. Sometimes, vegetables are wrapped in aluminum foil to prevent drying up.

 

Before putting the baking dish with the veggies inside the preheated oven, check that the vegetables are arranged in a single layer on the dish.

 

Once the oven is preheated to 450°F, place the roasting pan containing the vegetables inside the oven to begin the roasting process. Only 10 to 15 minutes are required to roast the assortment of vegetables inside the oven.

 

Stir the vegetables in the oven after every ten minutes. Though some vegetables do not require more than 10 minutes to cook, others may need some more time. Always make sure to stir the vegetables after every 10 minutes to prevent it from sticking on the dish’s surface.

 

Continue stirring every ten minutes until the vegetables are fully cooked or roasted. You will understand this by their softness, color and texture. Roasted vegetables turn golden brown in color.

 

Your roasted veggies are now ready to be served. Garnish them with butter or cheese and eat hot!