Take the stress out of cooking and roast some Winter vegetables in one pan in the oven. All that’s required is a little chopping and peeling. Add your favorite spice blend and serve as a side dish to breaded pork chops for an easy Winter dinner.
Jump to: RECIPE | Roasted Vegetables vs Sautéed | Which Veggies Roast at Same Time? | Cooking Temperatures for Root Vegetables | What to Eat with Root Vegetables | FAQ
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Roasted Vegetables vs Stir Fry (or Sautéed)
Winter root vegetables are some of the easiest things to roast in a sheet pan. They tend to be firm and if cut to the right size they will all caramelize at the same time.
Roasting vegetables also adds a ton of flavor. No more bland mushy veggies that you might see from steaming or boiling. Even the kids will like these richly caramelized vegetables!
Another cooking method that will bring out a lot of flavor from vegetable combinations includes a method called stir frying.
Stir frying has the added advantage of keeping the beautiful color of veggies bright. This Mediterranean Stir Fry Recipe is a great example of the ins and outs of stir-frying vegetables.
Which Root Vegetables to Roast Together in Traybake?
Many of the vegetables that grow well and store well in the Winter are called root vegetables. This is because the edible parts (tubers) grow underground, with the leaves above the soil surface.
The trick to sheet pan cooking is to combine ingredients that will get done around the same time at a high temperature. You wouldn’t want to cook tomatoes and carrots on the same sheet pan, for example, or your tomatoes would be mush by the time the carrots finished cooking.
Here are some Winter root vegetables that go well together in a sheet pan. Just be mindful of cutting them to a similar thickness.
- Carrots
- Jicama
- Beets
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Turnips
- Onions
- Garlic
Other vegetables to combine with root vegetables
Some people don’t mind if there are soft mushy veggies on the same tray as the crunchy root veggies. It does add some different textures.
Here are a few ingredients you might want to combine with your root veggies:
- Brussel sprouts
- Broccoli
- Lemons
- Cherry tomatoes
Cooking Temperatures for Roasted Root Vegetables
Root vegetables generally take longer than cruciferous ones. I like mine a bit on the al-dente side and very crispy so I cook them at 425 F for 30 minutes. You can also cook at 400 F for 40 minutes if you want them a bit less firm.
400 degrees Fahrenheit is the go-to temperature for most roasted vegetables, but it will vary based on the type of veggies and the size that you cut them.
The holy grail is a crispy, browned exterior and a fork tender interior. Check your sheet pan every so often and increase or decrease the heat if they are not browning to your liking.
**Pro Tip: Do not overcrowd the sheet pan. You want the vegetables to be in a single layer or they will cook unevenly and thus be less caramelized. Caramelization is what makes roasted vegetables so sweet and delectable.
What to Eat with Roasted Vegetables
Roasted root veggies are wonderful as a side dish to just about any main dish. The recipe below includes breaded pork chops (also see video in the recipe card). Here’s a few other popular ideas:
- They are also wonderful with chicken thighs and fish fillets.
- If you want a low carb side dish or a plant-based main dish try this Squash-Parsnip-Carrot Ragù recipe.
- Add them to salads.
- Top off a bowl of rice or spaghetti squash.
**Pro Tip: Add acid. A drizzle of vinegar, a spoonful of tangy buttermilk or plain yogurt, a simple squeeze of lemon or lime will always add brightness to an otherwise boring and flat dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually soggy veggies are a result of one of these 3 things:
1. The vegetables are arranged too closely together or are on top of one another. They end up steaming instead of caramelizing.
2. The oven temperature is too low. It should be 400 to 425 degrees F.
3. Use a rimmed baking sheet rather than a casserole pan or a pan with high sides. The high sides make it harder for the water inside of the vegetables to evaporate during baking, setting you up for sogginess.
Yes you can. I don’t use an air fryer so I will refer you to this air fryer calculator for oven to air fryer conversions.
To make ahead, you can peel, scrub and prep the vegetables 2 days in advance then pop them in the oven just at the right time!
Some root vegetables have a lot of starch and are definitely not low carb. Others are relatively low carb, especially when factoring in the fiber. This is a good list of root vegetables, ranging from lowest carb to highest carb.
Like this recipe? It helps me out greatly if you leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below and maybe even leave me a quick comment too!
Roasted Root Vegetables & Pork Chops
Equipment
- 3 shallow bowls or plates
Ingredients
- 3 beets peeled and sliced
- 5 carrots peeled and chopped into 2” pieces
- 1 purple onion quartered
- 1 full head of garlic separated into cloves but not peeled
- ½ pound baby potatoes
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 tablespoons spice blend I used a harissa spice blend
- 4 thick pork chops
Breading Mixture
- 1 ½ cups rice flour
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay or your favorite seasoning blend
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Root Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 425°F.Prep all of the vegetables by rinsing them and cutting into similar thickness so they will cook at the same time.Arrange on the sheet pan in a single layer, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with spice blend. Rub everything in with your hands to coat the veggies.Place sheet pan on middle rack in oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes to see if vegetables are browned and done.3 beets, 5 carrots, 1 purple onion, 1 full head of garlic, 1/2 pound baby potatoes, 1 medium head of cauliflower, 1 lemon, 4 tablespoons olive oil
Breading Mixture
- Using 3 separate bowls, add rice flour to one, the egg to one and the cornmeal to one. Add 1 tablespoon Old Bay spice to the rice flour and 1 tablespoon Old Bay spice to the cornmeal.Add a little pepper to the rice flour and the cornmeal.1 1/2 cups rice flour, 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, 2 tablespoons Old Bay, 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pork Chops
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Oil should be bubbling a little but not sizzling hot.Dredge each pork chop first in the rice flour bowl, then the egg, and then the cornmeal.Place each pork chop into the hot oil in skillet and sauté 4-8 minutes depending on thickness of chop. My chops were 1” thick and it took 5 minutes per side. If you are nervous about whether the chop is done, use a digital thermometer and when it is 140 degrees F it is done.Let it rest for about 5 minutes (it will continue to cook a little while resting).4 thick pork chops
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