Simple Roasted Classic Vegetables Recipe

When preparing most meals, it's easy to focus on the main dishes or the proteins, like basic roasted chicken thighs, salmon, or easy roasted pork tenderloin. Because of this, side dishes are often an afterthought, even though they can be great opportunities for flavor and nutrients on the plate. Luckily, this recipe is an easy way to serve up a nutritious side dish without requiring much additional thought.

Recipe developer and registered dietitian, Kristen Carli, MS, RD, brings us this recipe for simple classic roasted vegetables. "I know that it is pretty typical for a registered dietitian to preach the health benefits of eating more vegetables, but this is a very easy and tasty way to roast up pretty much any type of vegetable," Carli says.Y"ou don't need to be an expert to tackle this recipe". These classic roasted vegetables are going to be your new go-to side dish in no time.

To make these simple classic roasted vegetables, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, olive oil, salt, and pepper. "While I typically eat this combination of veggies most frequently, feel free to substitute other root vegetables if desired," Carli says.

Before we get much further, you will need to preheat the oven to 400 F. While the oven is preheating, add the large baking sheet into the oven to preheat as well. Carli says, "This method of preheating the baking sheet will help to crisp up your veggies on all sides more quickly." While that is coming up to temperature, add all the veggies to a large bowl along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Give the veggies a thorough toss to ensure that they are all well-seasoned. Then, pull out the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully, add the veggies onto the baking sheet. Using the back of a wooden spoon, spread out the vegetables in an even layer to ensure all the vegetables will crisp up.

Place the baking sheet with the veggies back into the oven. Allow the vegetables to roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender and lightly crispy. "This amount of roasting time is perfect for most people, but feel free to allow your vegetables to go a little longer if you prefer your roasted vegetables extra crispy," Carli says. "I like mine as crispy as possible without being burnt. If you are like me, you can keep them roasting for an additional 10 minutes."

Then, you can plate up these veggies as desired. Serve them alongside a protein for a balanced meal, or drizzle on some ranch and enjoy these roasted vegetables as a snack — you really can't go wrong here.