How to Make Easy Sheet Pan Oven Roasted Vegetables
Oven-roasted vegetables are an incredibly flavorful, nutrient dense, and easy side dish to pair with any meal. Whenever I make them, I find myself stealing bites straight off the pan – they’re THAT good! However, there are a few specific steps that you can’t skip if you want to get the flavorful char of perfectly roasted vegetables.
Here are my tips for the BEST sheet pan veggies! I encourage you to give them a try the next time you plan to roast vegetables!
At the end of this post, I have recipes for some of my personal favorite easy roasted vegetables – simple roasted broccoli and cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes. However, these tips can be used with all different kinds of vegetables or even a combination of vegetables – bell peppers, onions, green beans, cabbage, butternut squash, root vegetables, asparagus, etc!
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8 tips for perfectly roasted vegetables
Pre-heat oven to 450F
While the amount of time for cooking will vary depending on the size and specific vegetable used…I’ve found the best way to roast veggies is at a high temperature of 450F. This higher temperature is hot enough to create tender vegetables with that desirable char without burning.
Dry your veggies
If you are rinsing and chopping your own vegetables…they MUST dry before roasted. Any water or moisture will leave you with a more “steamed” instead of roasted veggie.
For store bought options that are pre-rinsed and cut, you should be good to go!
Chop into bite sized pieces
For even cooking, you’ll want your veggie pieces to all be similar sizes. I like to think “bite-sized” for roasted veggies.
TIP: I purchase pre-chopped broccoli florets in bulk to use for roasting, and I find that most of the pieces are WAY too big. Instead of creating a mess chopping up broccoli florets…I snag my kitchen sheers and snip the florets into smaller, bite size pieces. I also remove any large stems – not my favorite!
Do not overcrowd your baking sheet
I learned this one the hard way! I used to have the mindset that “more is better,” especially because I am a dedicated meal prep-er and like to get as much done as fast as possible. When it comes to roasting veggies, you definitely want to create space on the baking pan…or else they will come out more steamed than roasted! Think – single layer with some room to breathe!
You could place your veggies directly on the pan or line with parchment paper for easy clean up!
ADD A SOURCE OF FAT
You’ll want to use some fat to encourage roasting – as opposed to the dry veggies just sitting and burning. And I’m not talking about cooking spray – there’s a difference. 🙂 But a little bit of fat goes a long way for us here! Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or butter are my favorites for roasting. I use half sheet pans in my oven and generally add 1 tbsp of fat per sheet pan when roasting.
In additional to a source of fat, you’ll likely want to add some seasoning. I tend to go simple with salt and black pepper, but you could add garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning blends – like Italian seasoning, or maybe some heat from a dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
FLAT SIDE DOWN ON THE PAN
If you’re cutting any vegetable and there is a “flat” edge – go through your pan and flip each piece so that the flat edge is touching the pan. I mainly use this tip when roasting Brussels sprouts. I chop off the stems and slice them in half. After I’ve coated them in a drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper, I go through the pan and flip every piece so the middle (flat) edge is touching the pan. It creates a perfect char every single time!
COOK ONE PAN AT A TIME
I used to prep multiple pans of roasted veggies in my oven at once, but now I have dipped down to single pans for even heat distribution. It may take a smidge more time, but it is SO worth it!
If cooking longer than 10 minutes…FLIP YOUR VEGGIES & spin the PAN
When roasting root vegetables, like potatoes, they tend to have a longer cooking time. Halfway through the cooking process, I flip them around on the pan for best results. With any vegetable, I will spin the pan around if cooking for more than 10 minutes. To spin the pan, you’ll want the side that was closest to the back of the oven to now be closest to the front. This encourages even cooking. Example: if you are roasting potatoes for 20 minutes, you’ll flip and spin after 10 minutes.
Serving roasted vegetables
Serve immediately as-is or jazz up your favorite vegetables with some additional flavors. You could add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to roasted Brussels sprouts, a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese to roasted broccoli, or a spritz of lemon juice to roasted asparagus. Or you could let them cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you could pop your serving into the microwave or bring back some crisp by reheating in an air fryer!
Meal planning tips
Create a balanced meal by serving my simple roasted broccoli and cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes below with a source of protein, like chicken thighs!
To browse more easy recipes, click here!
Simple Roasted Broccoli
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450F
- Add broccoli florets to a large bowl and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper
- Toss to coat evenly
- Add to a parchment paper lined baking sheet*Make sure they are in a single layer and aren't crowded!
- Roast for 10-12 minutes or until tender
Notes
Nutrition
Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 lb sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 dash cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450F
- Rinse and dry sweet potatoes
- Carefully chop into bite sizes pieces and add to a large bowl
- Toss with oil and seasonings to evenly coat all pieces
- Add to a parchment paper lined baking sheet*Make sure they are in a single layer and aren't crowded!
- Bake for 10 minutes
- Toss potatoes with a spatula and spin the pan for even cooking
- Cook an additional 10 minutes or until fork tender
Notes
Nutrition
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