How to Roast Vegetables in the Oven

Roasting vegetables is probably the easiest thing next to boiling water that you can do in the kitchen… truly… I wouldn’t lie to you. Ever go to an upscale restaurant and marvel at just how perfect the vegetables in the side dish are? You can do it at home.. and trust me… it’s virtually fool proof and definitely easy.

You can roast all sorts of vegetables, in different sizes and shapes to meet your needs. Farmers markets are brimming with fabulous produce and it’s a shame not to partake in the bounty. The question on most cooks minds after they bring it home… what to do with them.

I could literally write a book full of ideas… but.. I figured I’d start with roasting. First a few basic tips..

TIPS

Decide before you start what you’re going to do with them once they’re roasted… and no… I don’t want to hear.. eat them… that’s something Warren would say…. big sigh… what I mean is… are you going to use them as part of a recipe?... toss with pasta?... top a pizza? …or maybe you just want to make a side dish?

Deciding how you will use them will help you decide several important things… which vegetables to put in the mix… how much to roast… and what size to cut the vegetables into.

The example I’m going to give you today.. is perfect as a side dish… or to top a pizza… or to toss into a bowl of pasta.. among other uses… you get the idea.

The most important part is to make sure you cut all the vegetables into roughly the same size.





I use olive oil sparingly… I want to coat them all not drown them.

I use salt and pepper lightly… and sprinkle seasoning on them… in today’s example… I use Italian Seasoning.

So here goes..






How to Roast Vegetables in the Oven

All you need:

1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 red pepper
1 medium onion
1 pkg. (8 oz.) baby Portobello mushrooms
Olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Cover a baking sheet with foil (makes clean-up a snap).

Wash and dry the vegetables.

Cut the zucchini and yellow squash into pieces about the same size.

Quarter the mushrooms.

Cut the pepper and onion into strips about the same size.















Place all the cut vegetables on the baking sheet.





     Drizzle olive oil over them.









Toss with your hands to evenly coat the vegetables.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning… toss again to be sure you have a sprinkling on all vegetables.

Place in a 450 degree F oven for 15 minutes. This will lightly roast the vegetables but they will still have a little substance to them. They won’t be charred. If you prefer them charred or softer, roast a bit longer but keep an eye on them.