Italian Roast Carrots

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If you haven’t tried roasting your vegetables as a simple side dish – you are missing out. Roasted vegetables come out soft on the inside while maintaining the texture of the outside. Because no one like a mushy vegetable side (unless it’s mashed taters!), this is a great way to get kids to add more vegetables to their plate. These Italian Roast Carrots are great for all sorts of meals – not just Italian or pasta dishes. They are a great addition to a holiday table too!

I will insist that you use fresh carrots for this recipe, but NOT baby carrots. You want to buy the full sized whole carrots and cut them up yourself. And as a side note – you DO NOT HAVE TO PEEL THEM! If you give them a good scrub under the water, you can leave the peel on. This cuts down on the prep time and adds more fiber and nutrients (like beta-carotene) to the finished dish. Once the carrots are roasted, the slightly tougher skin softens enough that you do not even notice it.

Substitutes and Variations:

If you want to give these carrots a slightly different flavor profile, you can do other vinaigrette style dressings besides Italian dressing. You just want to stay away from creamy dressings as the cream content doesn’t roast up quite as nicely. If you want to get some variety on the veggie side – pearl onions make a great addition to this side dish.

Suggestions for Sides:

This goes really well with just about every type of pasta dish. It goes extra well with my Easy Cheese Lasagna Recipe. I will also be serving it with my Christmas dinner this year as an extra vegetable side dish. They are so simple but pack a flavor punch that goes well with so many things.

Tools that may make this recipe easier:

You will need a good chef’s knife to cut up your carrots. Remember to always keep your knife good and sharp – a sharp knife is a safe knife. When you try to cut with a dull blade, you increase the chances of hurting yourself. This is mostly because you tend to apply more force than necessary and this causes lose of control of the trajectory of the blade. So you really should have a decent knife sharpener in your kitchen. If you aren’t comfortable sharpening your own knives, you should take them in to a professional on a regular basis.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!