Dinner in our apartment frequently follows this formula: One meat + two or three vegetables. If I plan ahead and put something like steak or pork tenderloin in the sous vide around 3pm, I can have a healthy dinner on the table with as little as 30 minutes of active time.

My preferred method of making vegetables year-round is to roast them. It is fast, it works with a wide variety of vegetables, and it is super easy to clean up.

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Choose and cut your vegetables. A quick guide is below.
3. Toss your veggies with spices and a little bit of oil (Grapeseed Oil is probably the best option given its high smoke point), and put them on a sheet pan lined with foil.
4. Put the pan of veggies on the middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes. No turning needed.

This method works well with all of the veggies listed below.

Vegetables, how to cut them, and what to season them with

Vegetable	How to cut	Seasoning
Acorn Squash	Halve from stem to tip, then slice into half moons	Cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage
Asparagus	Cut the woody bottom part of the stem off and leave the rest of the stalk whole	Salt, pepper, garlic, lemon zest
Broccoli	Florets	Salt, pepper, and garlic.
Brussels Sprouts	Halve from top to bottom	Salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top with fresh grated parmesan.
Butternut Squash	Peel and dice into 3/4 inch cubes	Sage, sautéed onions, cinnamon, and cranberries (not all spices, but my favorite way to roast butternut squash
Carrots	Slice longways into quarters, then cut the lengths in half	Cumin or ginger
Cauliflower	Florets	Adobo or Cumin or Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Celeriac	Peel then cube	Salt, pepper, paprika, thyme
Eggplant	Slice into 1/2 inch thick disks	Garlic, parsley, salt, pepper
Garlic	whole peeled individual cloves	Nothing needed
Mushrooms	Whole	Butter, garlic, thyme
Parsnips	Slice longways into quarters, then cut the lengths in half	Cumin or ginger
Pumpkins	Halve from stem to tip, then slice into half moons	Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg
Radishes	Halve or quarter	Salt, pepper, and smoked paprika
Rutabagas	Peel and 1 inch dice	Salt, pepper, thyme, and balsamic vinegar
Sweet Potatoes	1 inch dice	Salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic or chili powder
Tomatoes	Halve if small, quarter if large	Oregano and garlic
Turnips	Peel and 1 inch dice	Salt, pepper, thyme, and balsamic vinegar
Yellow Squash	3/4 inch disks	Smoked paprika, salt, and pepper
Zucchini	3/4 inch disks	Smoked paprika, salt, and pepper

 

 

Up next: Braising is another good method for cooking vegetables. Fennel, leeks, radicchio, and artichokes tend to turn out better braised. Watch out for a post on braising soon.