Roasted beetroot and root vegetables

Summary

Prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 40 mins
Ages: Babies 9m+ to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 4 servings

Our roasted veggies

Our roasted veggies contain beetroot, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots. Each has their own delicious flavour and health benefits.

Beetroot is rich in antioxidants and gets it’s deep red colour from plant nutrients that are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Beetroot is believed to improve the elasticity of the blood vessels, and improve endurance in cardiovascular activities like running.

Carrots are thought to reduce the risk of cancer by protecting the cells from free radical damage.

Parsnips on the other hand, are a great source of folate, which helps maintain healthy brain function and nervous system.

And…sweet potatoes as well as being rich in flavour as also rich in antioxidants. They have a low GI index, which means that they can keep little ones full for longer.

Tips for roasting veggies

1. When you spread the vegetables out in the oven tray make sure each one has its own space. This will help them to roast nicely with a thick outer skin as opposed to going all soft and mushy.
2. Half way through the roasting, remember to turn the vegetables over. It can take a minute but is worth doing so that all sides see the heat.
3. Use your favourite herbs. We’ve offered our favourite mix of fresh and dried herbs in this recipe but you can adjust these as you prefer. Any of the fresh herbs here can be replaced with their dried equivalent and you can increase or decrease as you like.

Ingredients

• 60 mls Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 230 grams beetroot, peeled and cut into round slices (1/2 pound)
• 450 grams  sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (1 pound)
• 450 grams parsnips cut into 1 inch chunks (1 pound)
• ¾ tablespoon dried oregano
• ¾ tablespoon fresh crushed rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Peel and chop the carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips into chunks that are roughly the same size.
4. Peel and chop the beetroot into round slices that are slightly thinner than the other veg.
5. Put everything into a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the veg and sprinkle with the oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.
6. Mix it well by hand so that all the pieces are coated with the oil and herb mixture.
7. Place the veg on the baking tray in an even layer. Avoid overlapping, giving each piece its own space.
8. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, turning vegetable pieces over half way through. Enjoy!

Roasted beetroot and root vegetables – our step by step guide:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and chop all the carrots, parsnips and sweet potato into pieces that are roughly the same size.

It can be helpful to cut the beetroot into slices that are thinner than the other veg.

Beetroot needs more time to roast, and a thinner slice will mean that they cook evenly with the other veg.

 

Place all your veg in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over the top.

Add the herbs to the mix and stir gently to combine everything.

Give everything a seasoning with salt and pepper.

Mix thoroughly by hand so that all pieces are evenly covered with the herb and oil mixture.

Place all your veg on a baking tray, leaving adequate space between each piece.

Don’t overlap as you’ll end up steaming the veg on top instead of baking. You might need two baking trays to make this work.

Put it all in the oven to 35-40 minutes.

Flip the vegetables over half way through.

Remove from the oven and enjoy this delicious roasted beetroot with root veg dish.