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Easy pan roasted carrots are perfectly caramelized in the oven
Looking for an easy, healthy side dish? These pan roasted carrots are cooked to perfection in the oven. They're caramelized and have a touch of sweetness from the maple sugar. The carrots are then topped off with a tahini dressing and finished with pomegranate seeds and lemon zest. This would be the perfect Thanksgiving dinner side dish!
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I can't get enough of these oven caramelized carrots. They're that good! The maple syrup adds the perfect touch of sweetness and the tahini dressing finishes off the whole dish.
If you're looking for an easy Thanksgiving side dish, these are a great addition to dinner! Not only do these carrots easily reheat, but they're also going to be a crowd-pleaser!
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
Learn a few tips and tricks to step up your game in the kitchen. By making this recipe you'll learn:
- Tips for roasting vegetables in the oven
- Why you need to roast vegetables at a high temperature
- An easy way to garnish the roasted carrots to make them look extra fancy
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you'll need for the pan roasted maple carrots:
- Extra virgin olive oil: The oil helps the carrots become extra brown! It also adds a great addition of flavor!
- Pure maple syrup: Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not maple flavored syrup. Maple is a great fall flavor! The sugar also encourages carmelization of the carrots.
- Whole carrots: You could substitute baby carrtos if that's all you have on hand.
- Morton kosher salt: All vegetables need a touch of salt to enhance the flavor.
- Black pepper: Freshly ground pepper provides the best taste. If you can buy a black pepper grinder, it's a game changer for your cooking.
- Whole milk Greek yogurt: While I prefer whole milk Greek yogurt, you can use 2% or nonfat in a pinch.
- Tahini: Tahini is made by grinding up seasame seeds into a smooth paste. This ingredient adds a great rich, nutty flavor to the dressing we drizzle over the carrots.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds a nice acidic touch to the dressing.
- Pomegranate seeds/lemon zest: These elements add the perfect garnish to the dish. Plus, a delicious pop of flavor!
Tools & Equipment
There are only a couple of tools you'll need to make the roasted maple glazed carrots:
- Metal Sheet Pan: A half sheet pan works best, especially if you're cooking a large Thanksgiving dinner!
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Serving Platter: Part of the appeal of this dish is how pretty it looks all plated up! Be sure to pick a pretty serving platter that compliments the colors of the carrots.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
The high temperatures encourage browning, caramelization, and a deep flavor in the carrots. I've found that 425°F (220°C) works the best!
The maple syrup can often add some dark caramelization to the carrots. Don't worry if you have some blackened carrots - it just adds flavor! However, you can also pull the carrots out of the oven a bit earlier if you'd prefer no blackened spots.
Be sure the carrots aren't packed too closely on the baking sheet. If they're too close together, the carrots will steam instead of roasting and caramelizing.
If you're in a pinch, you can simply reheat them in the microwave. However, you can also reheat in a saute pan over medium heat until warmed all the way through.
Maple Pan Roasted Carrots With Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup divided
- 2 pounds whole carrots scrubbed and sliced in half lengthwise ½ inch thick and wide
- ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup tahini
- ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons water
- pomegranate seeds for garnish
- lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil.
- Mix olive oil and 1 ½ tablespoon of the maple syrup in a large bowl. Add in carrots and toss to combine. Arrange carrots on the lined baking pan, then season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Roast carrots for 30-35 minutes, flipping carrots over halfway through the cooking process, until carrots have caramelized and are fork tender.
- While the carrots are cooking, whisk together the remaining ½ tablespoon of maple syrup, Greek yogurt, tahini, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the sauce has thinned out to your desired consistency.
- Plate carrots on a serving platter. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with pomegranate seeds and lemon zest. Reserve extra sauce in a small bowl and serve alongside the carrots.
Nutrition
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Pete
Tried these carrots and they were, by far, the BEST carrots I've ever had. Looking forward to enjoying them again soon. My compliments to Homebody Eats. ❤️👍👏