Don’t Like Veggies? Try Roasting Them
October 31, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•St. Louis
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Don’t Like Veggies? Try Roasting Them
The scientific and anecdotal evidence is everywhere you look: Eating more vegetables is good for you. From losing weight to fighting diabetes to preventing heart disease and certain cancers, consuming more and greater varieties of vegetables in your diet will make you healthier. With a deep connection to America’s farming heartland the St. Louis culinary arts scene has long history with vegetables of all varieties. Like everywhere else, however, more needs to be done to incorporate vegetables in everyday meals.
The problem is, of course, that we Americans just don’t eat enough vegetables to reap the benefits they contain. And why is that? For most of us, the answer is simple: we don’t really like them. We have a few favorites like corn, peas, or green beans, but much of the rest are left alone. It’s all well and good that we know how good they are for us, but if we don’t like them, how do we take advantage of their health benefits? Not everyone can or should get a culinary college degree to learn the delicious ways to prepare vegetables.
Roasting Unlocks the Flavor
The main reason we don’t like the way vegetables taste is because we don’t know how to cook them to unlock their true flavors. Boiled veggies, fried veggies, veggies covered in cheese sauce: nothing tastes better than roasted vegetables.
And the best part is that nearly any vegetable can be roasted. Here are some of the best:
- Asparagus
- Bell Peppers
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Onions, especially red
- Parsnips
- Sweet potatoes
- Turnips
- Zucchini
- And many more …
Be honest. How many of those vegetables do you eat on a weekly basis? How many do you even eat once a month? If your like most people then it’s probably not too many. Once you’ve roasted them, however, you’ll want to eat them all of the time.
Best Roast Veggies Recipe
Now that we’ve talked about roasting your vegetables, let’s learn how to do it. The key is keep things simple. The natural oils and sugars in the vegetables must be able to caramelize, brown, and otherwise shine through the cooking method.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Choose and cut your vegetables into medium pieces. Slice, dice, chop: the technique doesn’t matter so much as the size. Don’t cut them too small. They will burn. Start with an easy mix red bell peppers, red onions, butternut squash, and zucchini. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new vegetables and new combinations.
- In a large bowl, mix the vegetables with enough olive oil to coat them evenly. The oil helps distribute the heat giving you even browning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread the vegetables in a single layer over a sheet pan.
- Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- At 15 minutes, give the veggies a quick flip and return them to the oven until they begin to brown on the edges, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve as is or with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, a dash of oregano, and/or shaved parmesan cheese.
Try this method for cooking vegetables and you will no longer be one of millions of Americans who doesn’t eat enough vegetables.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in St. Louis. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in St. Louis offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the St. Louis, Missouri area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/St-Louis for more information.
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