Roasted fall vegetables like sweet potato and Brussel sprouts are tossed in a maple-balsamic glaze and combined with diced apple and pecans for the perfect healthy side dish.
What better time to celebrate fall produce than the week before Thanksgiving? Sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots and butternut squash abound in this simple but flavorful dish.
If you're a regular on the blog you know I love roasted veggies (think roasted potatoes, vegetable gyros...). Good news for us, fall is one of the best time to roast veggies!
Recipe features
- Dietary-features: vegan, vegetarian, soy-free, gluten-free
- Packed with seasonal veggies
- Perfect as a Thanksgiving or holiday side dish
- Easy to make into a main dish
The combination of earthy root vegetables with balsamic vinegar, toasted pecans, and the sweetness of diced apples is enough to keep you warm (and full!) through the winter.
What you'll need
We're using a combination of root veggies and classic fall veggies paired with a few ingredients for added flavor:
- Carrots and Brussel sprouts: Choose whole carrots. I usually remove the carrot skin and outermost Brussel sprout peel before roasting.
- Sweet potato: I recommend peeling the sweet potato first. Choose sweet potato with orange/red flesh like Jewel or Garnet varieties.
- Butternut squash is sweet and delicious when roasted. Check out my tips on how to cut butternut squash.
- Apple adds a pop of sweetness and crunch. Choose sweet apples like Gala or Fuji.
- Pecans: Choose raw pecans and toast them yourself in a pan or you can save time by buying roasted pecans.
- Olive oil is my favorite oil for roasting vegetables. If you prefer not to use olive oil for roasting (it has a smoke point of 375-405F) you can use canola, avocado or peanut oil.
- Balsamic vinegar: Choose a "good" balsamic vinegar for the best flavor, AKA not the cheapest one on the shelf!
Tips to make roasted vegetables
There are three important components to making great roasted vegetables.
- Veggie size: you want the veggies to be cut into similar sizes using a sharp knife (this is my preferred affordable chef's knife). This allows them to cook at the same rate, so you don't have a combination of burnt and undercooked veg.
- Oil: Evenly coating the vegetables with oil will prevent them from sticking to the cooking pan (less clean up and fewer veggies lost to the pan) and encourage extra browning, and thus extra flavor. You can also layer the sheet pan with foil for easier cleanup.
- Spacing: Don't overlap or overcrowd the veggies or they will soften but not brown.
Time saving tip: Buy butternut squash pre-diced to save about 5-10 minutes on prep time. You can even use thawed frozen butternut squash BUT it only needs to cook for 25-30 minutes.
How to make
Step one: Evenly layer prepped vegetables on a sheet pan (this is my go-to pan). Using clean hands or a spatula, toss with olive oil.
Step two: Combine balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, marjoram and coarse salt in a small bowl.
Step three: Drizzle the balsamic mixture on the vegetables, using a spatula or clean hands to evenly coat.
Step four: Roast for 40-50 minutes at 425F, stirring vegetables halfway through to promote even cooking.
While the vegetables are cooking: Toast pecans in a small pan over medium heat. This will only take 2-3 minutes, so keep an eye on the pecans and stir frequently. They are ready when aromatic and a deeper brown.
Toss roasted vegetables with pecans, diced apple, lemon juice and an additional drizzle of balsamic.
Recipe FAQ
Most vegetables are delicious roasted. Beets, parsnips, turnips, acorn squash, and regular Russet potatoes are all good options here. You can also throw on a few whole cloves of garlic to roast alongside the veggies.
For best quality, keep refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days.
Make it a meal by serving with your favorite grain (I'm thinking bulgur or quinoa) or vegan mac and cheese and Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets. These roasted veggies would go so well with a vegan seitan roast at Thanksgiving!
I personally prefer roasting veggies at 425 degrees F for an ultra golden and crisp outside and tender inside. You can roast veggies at 400 degrees F if you want them to get less crispy on the outside.
Yes! Just omit the pecans and this recipe will be nut-free.
Looking for more fall recipes?
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Balsamic Roasted Fall Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potato ¾" dice
- 1.5 pounds butternut squash ¾" dice
- 1 pound brussel sprout sliced in half with ends cut off
- ½ pound carrots peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar + more for serving
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 medium gala apple or other sweet red apple
- ¼ cup whole pecans
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- parsley and green onions for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Arrange prepped vegetables evenly on a large sheet pan (try not to overlap). Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, stirring with a spatula (or clean hands) to combine.
- In a small bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, marjoram and coarse salt. Drizzle this over the vegetables, stirring to evenly coat.
- Roast at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Halfway through (at around 20 minutes) remove from oven and stir vegetables. Return to oven and roast until vegetables are soft and golden.
- While the vegetables are roasting, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup pecan halves. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Remove vegetables from the oven and toss with diced apple, toasted pecans and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Drizzle with additional balsamic just before serving.
Notes
- For best results, dice all vegetables into similar ¾" pieces. Roasting the vegetables for ~40 minutes will cook the vegetables through, but I like to roast for almost 50 minutes for extra softness and crispy bits.
- One medium lemon will yield about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Roasted vegetables are best enjoyed immediately but will keep 3-4 days in a refrigerated container (these are my go-to storage containers). To reheat, evenly layer on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees F until heated through and re-crisped, about 10-15 minutes.
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