Roasted Vegetable Tray Makes a Beautiful Presentation

Are you looking for a great healthy side dish to serve to company? 

Roasted vegetables are easy to make, taste sensational, and make a beautiful presentation for any occasion. If you have a variety of guests, this recipe meets gluten free, dairy free, and nut free making it perfect if you, a family member or guest have special eating needs.

No matter what the vegetable, it tastes best roasted. Roasting allows vegetables to sweeten, remain firm, and retain their vibrant color.

Roasted vegetables are my go-to side for any holiday or occasion because they not only taste great, they make are good for you.

My tray of roasted veggies contains roasted asparagus, roasted sweet potato, roasted red potato with red onion, roasted eggplant and roasted cherry tomatoes.

I make my roasted veggies an hour or two in advance and serve them at room temperature. It seems to work well with most vegetables except the roasted red potatoes. The potatoes taste best when first roasted.

On other occasions,  I've also added roasted beets, red and yellow peppers, or roasted carrots to my tray.

What is the recipe to make roasted vegetables?
I roast each vegetable separately on it's own tray, since the time needed for each vegetable may vary.

In addition, I often steam my sweet potatoes and beets for 15 minutes before I roast them to soften them up.. Sweet potatoes and beets are very hard and take a long time if I don't steam them first. However, if you don't mind the longer time in the oven, then steaming is not necessary.

Prep 

All vegetables need to be washed, peeled (eggplant, sweet potatoes, beets) and cubed or sliced into spears (sweet potato)

Update: 2022- oil-free version

Last year I became vegan and started to follow the Forks Over Knives philosophy and the Starch Solution philosophy which explains that oil is a highly processed food that is extremely caloric. I've found that I can roast vegetables in "Aquafaba"(see notes at bottom of page) and get good results for much less calories. So where the recipe calls for oil, I now substitute aquafaba. 

Bake Times:  425 degrees
Temperature is the same, but roasting times will vary depending on how small or large you cut the vegetable. ( check frequently) vegetables should be soft on the inside- crisp on the outside.

Asparagus- wash and snap off the woody ends and discard the ends- Toss the remaining vegetable in olive oil and seasoning of choice. Lay on a cookie sheet that has been covered in parchment paper.  Leave space between the vegetables 10-20 minutes

Eggplant- Peel the eggplant and then cut into small cubes. Toss in olive oil and seasoning of your choice ( I used Himalayan salt, pepper, and Trader Joe's 21 Salute)  Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 -20 minutes

Red Peppers- wash, cut into strips, toss in olive oil and seasoning of your choice, lay on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cherry tomatoes-Wash cherry or grape tomatoes and cut in half. Toss in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Lay on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 -20 minutes

Red Potatoes - Wash, peel, and cube. Toss in olive oil and seasoning and lay on a cookies sheet covered with parchment paper . Roast for about about 30 minutes ( I leave the skin on red potatoes)

Brussels Sprouts- wash , trim and cut in half or leave them whole is there are small. Toss in olive oil and seasoning of choice and lay on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake about 30-60 miinutes depending on size. ( check frequently) for soft on the inside and crispy on the outsid

Butternut Squash,  acorn squash , sweet potato, beets, - These hard root vegetables take about 45-60 minutes. Or I often choose to steam them first for 15 minutes and then roast them for about 20 minutes- it's your choice..

Since the veggies ( except white or red potatoes) taste great at room temperature, I have a few trays in the oven at the same time but just watch eat tray carefully for cooking times.

Since it does depend on the size that you cut it vegetable ( the smaller and thinner will roast faster) watch your veggies carefully.

Make sure they are well coated in oil and use olive oil spray if needed!

My Notes:  

1. The holiday of Passover- Roasted vegetables are the perfect side for the Passover Seder. It gives you a variety of vegetables, feeds a crowd, and does not have to be reheated because most vegetables taste great at room temperature. Of course all vegetables are Kosher for Passover.

2. The holiday of Easter- Spring vegetables such as asparagus are a lovely addition to a roasted vegetable tray that is perfect for the Easter holiday. A healthy vegetable tray makes a lovely presentation.

3. Allergies? This tray meets the needs of those who are gluten free, nut free, dairy free etc. in addition, it's parve ! 

4. Vegans- add some nuts, avocado and humus and you have a meal.

5. Aquafaba- is the starchy liquid that is formed when cooking dry chickpeas. It is the liquid that is in every can of chickpeas. This liquid is extremely versatile and is similar to the consistency of egg whites. I can be used in desserts and many food in place of eggs. I find it also works to coat vegetables for roasting in place of oil. 

For ways to use aquafaba in vegan cooking, I found this post. I have no affiliation with it, just found it on the Internet.  26 ways to use aquafaba. 


Linking to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post. This week Beth review the Netflix series called Rotten which explores the many problems in our food industry,.