Ina Garten’s 5 Tips for Roasting Veggies

Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest ways to enjoy seasonal produce, and including the right herbs and spices will make them extra flavorful. A delightful spring side dish can include a sheet-pan combination of new potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower and leeks. For summer, opt for zucchini, yellow squash and bell peppers. In the fall, choose butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Finally, root vegetables shine during winter.

If you’re looking to spruce up your usual veggie-roasting routine, we found some expert advice from one of EatingWell‘s favorite celebrity chefs, Ina Garten. Here are five tips from the Food Network star on roasting veggies to perfection, including chopping tips, recommended seasonings and ways to avoid limp, soggy vegetables.

Chop Veggies Larger

When cutting up your veggies to add to your sheet pan, keeping the chopped pieces large (especially with water-packed produce: tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers) is OK, and in some cases preferred, according to Garten. In her Roasted Summer Vegetables recipe, she notes that cutting zucchini into ¾-inch-thick slices “will seem large, but they’ll shrink while they cook.”

Don’t Overcrowd the Pan

Before you dump a pile of overlapping vegetables onto your sheet pan, think twice. In recipes like her Roasted Broccolini & Cheddar and Roasted Carrots, Garten recommends keeping your veggies in one layer with no overlap.

“If they’re crowded, they’ll steam rather than roast,” Garten explains. So by spreading them out and using two sheet pans if needed, you will get a nice crisp in each bite.

Toss Veggies Mid-Roast

This might feel tedious, but it’s entirely worth it for an even roast. In her recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash, Garten states that tossing the pieces of squash once during cooking with a large metal spatula will help the cubes brown evenly. Try her method when whipping up our Roasted Butternut Squash Salad that’s packed with heart-healthy ingredients.

Add Cheese and Herbs

While seasoning your veggies with salt, pepper and oil before placing them in the oven is standard and tasty, Garten is a fan of taking it up a notch. Whether it’s adding Parmesan cheese or sprinkling on some herbs, seasoning with your favorite flavor-packed pantry staples will make you want to scoop a second helping of vegetables with your dinner. Check out these cheesy veggie sides that are so delicious, you’ll want to make them forever.

Use Pan Seasonings

If you’re more of a season-before-roasting person, Garten has a trick for you, too. Don’t let any of that flavor go to waste on the pan; and instead, scrape all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan onto your finished dish. When serving the veggies with pasta, Garten likes mixing the seasoning into the main dish before topping it with her vegetables, according to her Orzo with Roasted Vegetables recipe. We’ll definitely try out this method next time we make our Roasted Root Veggies & Greens over Spiced Lentils.