Three Easy Steps I Use to Roast Basically Any Vegetable

Roasted vegetables are one of the simple pleasures in life. There's barely any preparation, their unique flavors become sweet and concentrated, and you're rewarded with a symphony of textures—crispy, chewy, juicy, and fluffy. It’s a great example of food that can actually be healthy and taste delicious, and you don’t have to be a trained chef to make them perfectly. The key is: Don’t complicate it. I have the most success using this simple treatment.

Two things signal roasted veggie perfection: charred spots and wrinkles. While these might be descriptors for something “ugly,” don’t be fooled. The well-browned areas signal delicious complexity of flavor, due to the Maillard reaction, and the wrinkles signal the veggie in question expanded with steam while cooking through, and now has a soft interior and crispy exterior. 

All you need is high heat, a bit of oil, and a generous sprinkle of salt. I usually assemble a mélange of three to five different veggies on one sheet pan, but you can certainly roast just a single type of vegetable instead. 

Trim and prepare your vegetables

If you're using broccoli, maybe you cut the florets from the woody stalk. If you've chosen tomatoes or small pepper, then maybe you halve them or you leave them whole. The most important thing to do is keep the size consistent so all of the pieces cook at the same rate. I like to roast big chunky vegetables, so I’ll prepare them to be inch-and-a-half rounds or hunks. 

Add fat and salt

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

I put all of the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and drizzle about a tablespoon of neutral cooking oil over them (canola or corn oil is fine). Toss about a half teaspoon of salt into the bowl. Using your hands, start to toss the vegetables, scooping the bottom ones up to the top. Every time you scoop, squish and rub the veggie pieces to make sure everything is well coated in oil and salt. 

Roast the veggies

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Dump the contents of the bowl onto a foil-lined or unlined baking sheet. The arrangement doesn’t matter too much, but if I have any veggies with a skin—like halved potatoes or zucchini—I arrange them skin-side down so they’re less likely to stick to the pan. 

Pop the pan into a 400°F oven. Depending on the vegetable and its size, they’ll roast for 10 to 40 minutes. For large cuts, root vegetables, mushrooms, or squash, cook them for an initial 20 minutes. Then give the pan a shake, check on things, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until you’re satisfied with the color.

Timing differs, but there's wiggle room

When timing roasted vegetables, practice makes perfect. Green beans might only take 12 minutes while broccoli needs a bit longer, and cauliflower longer still. When in doubt, just stick around and don’t be afraid to check their status, especially with root vegetables. You can always slice a tester to make sure it’s cooked through.

Let the vegetables cool on the pan out of the oven for five to 10 minutes. This gives them time to deflate and emit some steam which will help loosen any stuck ones from the pan. Arrange them on your plates and serve.

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to roast vegetables in an air fryer, it is, and you should. It’s the same preparation method, but keep in mind that you’re limited by the size of your air fryer—you might have to work in batches if you’re cooking for a large group. 

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