How to Roast Any Vegetable

The oven’s dry heat drives off water to concentrate flavor while the fat encourages browning, transforming the raw vegetables into something entirely different. 

The trick is to use the right method for each vegetable and to keep a couple of simple garnishes in your back pocket so that you never get bored. 

These best practices apply to all vegetables and roasting methods.

1. Use a sturdy rimmed baking sheet. Flimsy sheets warp in a hot oven, causing oil to pool and food to brown unevenly. 

2. Evenly coat the vegetables with oil and seasonings. Oil (use any neutral variety) encourages browning because it conducts heat efficiently from the metal of the sheet to the vegetable. Toss the pieces with oil and salt and pepper in a bowl to ensure they are evenly coated.   

3. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Doing so ensures even cooking and deep browning on each piece. 

4. Don’t crowd the sheet. Leaving space between the pieces prevents a buildup of steam that thwarts browning. 

5. Don’t flip too soon. The side touching the sheet should be brown.

Serves 4 to 6 

Trimming and peeling the spears is less wasteful than snapping off the ends. Preheating the sheet on the lowest rack helps the spears sear upon contact; not moving them during roasting allows their undersides to brown deeply while the tops remain bright green.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thick spears, bottom inch of each trimmed, bottom half peeled down to white flesh
• 2 tablespoons oil 

Instructions 

1. Place baking sheet on lowest rack of oven and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Toss asparagus with oil and carefully transfer to hot baking sheet.
3. Roast undisturbed until deeply browned on undersides, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serves 4 

Cutting the crowns into wedges maximizes surface contact with the baking sheet to encourage browning. Adding sugar to the oil we use to toss the broccoli with helps too. 

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch (about 1¾ pounds), stalks peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length cut into ½-inch-thick pieces, and each crown cut into 4 to 6 evenly thick wedges
• 3 tablespoons oil 
• ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Place baking sheet on lowest rack of oven and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Toss broccoli with oil and sugar, then carefully transfer to hot baking sheet.
3. Roast undisturbed until deeply browned on undersides, 9 to 11 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6 

Peeling the squash thoroughly, to remove not only the tough outer skin but also the fibrous layer of white flesh just beneath, ensures supremely tender results.

Ingredients 

• 1 large (2½ to 3 pounds) squash, peeled down to deep orange flesh, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, each half sliced crosswise ½ inch thick 
• 3 tablespoons oil (or substitute equal amount of melted unsalted butter for richer flavor) 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Toss squash with oil and arrange in single layer on baking sheet. 
3. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, rotate sheet and continue to roast for 6 to 10 minutes. 
4. Flip squash and roast until squash is tender and browned on bottom, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Serves 4 to 6 

Brining the mushrooms seasons them evenly and helps them stay moist during cooking. 

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and left whole if small, halved if medium, or quartered if large 
• 2 quarts water
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons oil 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Combine water and salt and brine mushrooms for 10 minutes. Dry well. 
3. Toss mushrooms with oil and arrange on baking sheet. 
4. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, toss mushrooms and continue to roast until browned all over, 5 to 10 minutes longer. 

Serves 4 to 6 

Lining the sheet prevents scorching and makes cleanup easy.

Ingredients 

• 1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off 
• 1 tablespoon oil 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing liner into corners. 
3. Toss green beans with oil, and arrange in single layer on baking sheet. 
4. Roast for 10 minutes, toss green beans, and continue to roast until deeply browned all over, 10 to 12 minutes longer. 

Serves 4 

Adding water to the oil helps the sprouts steam during the covered phase. Initially arranging the sprouts cut side down ensures that their flat surfaces brown deeply. 

Ingredients

• 1¼ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 tablespoons oil 
• 1 tablespoon water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. 
2. Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, water, salt, and pepper, and arrange on baking sheet cut side down. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. 
3. Roast for 10 minutes covered, then remove foil and continue to roast until cut sides are deeply browned, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

Serves 4 to 6 

Cutting the carrots into batons ensures that they cook evenly. Lining the sheet prevents scorching and makes cleanup easy. 

Ingredients 

• 1½ pounds carrots, peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise if necessary to create even pieces
• 2 tablespoons oil (or substitute equal amount of melted unsalted butter for richer flavor) 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing liner into corners. 
3. Toss carrots with oil and arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. 
4. Roast for 15 minutes covered, then remove foil and continue to roast until deeply browned, 30 to 35 minutes. 

Serves 4 to 6 

Leaving the core intact makes it easy to flip the pieces halfway through cooking. Rubbing the oil and seasonings into each piece ensures that the nooks and crannies are evenly coated. 

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), outer leaves trimmed, stem cut flush with bottom, and head cut into 8 equal wedges so that core and florets remain intact
• ¼ cup oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing liner into corners. 
3. Rub oil, salt, and pepper into each wedge and arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. 
4. Roast cauliflower for 10 minutes covered, then remove foil and roast for 8 to 12 minutes. 
5. Flip wedges and roast until bottom is golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes longer. 

Serves 4 to 6

Cutting the bulbs lengthwise creates maximum surface area for browning. Leaving the core intact makes the halves easy to flip. 

Ingredients

• 3 fennel bulbs, 3 to 3½ inches in diameter, stalks discarded, each bulb cut lengthwise through core (don’t remove core) into 8 wedges
• 2 tablespoons oil 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Toss fennel with oil and arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. 
3. Roast for 15 minutes covered, then remove foil and continue to roast for 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. Flip fennel and continue to roast until core is tender and side touching sheet is browned, 5 to 10 minutes longer. 

A flavored salt, dressing, compound butter, or even Parmesan cheese is an easy way to add even more interest to roasted vegetables and can be thrown together while the vegetables are cooking.