How to Make Roast Veggies Taste Like Candy

We’ve all been there: You get home from work and must resist the siren call of takeout. Tonight you’re going to finally cook those farmer’s market vegetables ... right? 

Inevitably, you land in this familiar place: You toss a tumble of broccoli, sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts on a pan, then add olive oil, salt and about half an hour in the oven. This reliable formula has saved many a weeknight dinner. 

There’s a reason we keep roasted vegetables on repeat. They’re easy, satisfying and can be made with just about any vegetable that’s languishing in your crisper. 

But there’s more to life than salt and pepper. Wondering how to break out of your roasted veggie rut? If so, we have good news: A makeover doesn’t require complicated recipes or specialty ingredients. With just a few pantry staples and clever tweaks, you can transform roasted vegetables into dishes that are exciting and complex–delicious enough to build a meal around, and maybe even as craveable as candy. 

Here are six simple ways to make roast vegetables even better. 

1. Upgrade With Compound Butter

"Compound butter" is just a fancy way of saying “butter with flavorings mixed in.” And it couldn’t be easier to make. Let a stick of butter soften on the countertop, then knead in generous spoonfuls of flavorful ingredients like herbs, mustard, pesto or chile paste. Roll the flavored butter into a cylinder, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for whenever you need it. General rule of thumb: Slice off about three tablespoons of compound butter per sheet pan of vegetables and dot it over the top. 

Here are three effortless compound butter ideas:

• Miso butter: Mix white or yellow miso with unsalted butter. Use it with broccoli or wedges of cabbage.
• Mango chutney butter: Mix mango chutney with salted butter. Use it with carrots or sweet potatoes.
• Harissa butter: Mix harissa paste with unsalted butter. Use it with potatoes or cauliflower. 

2. Go for a Glaze

The simplest way to make a glaze is to stir together a sweetener with one intensely flavorful seasoning. Then toss the vegetables with the glaze for the last 10 minutes of cooking, so they get caramelized but not burnt. 

Try these combos: 

• Honey + chili crisp
• Maple syrup + smoked paprika
• Agave syrup + chipotle powder or minced canned chipotles  

3. Fruit Is Your Friend

Vegetables can’t have all the fun. Tossing in fresh or dried fruit is a great way to add pops of sweet-tart flavor and caramelization to your roasted veggies. Toss a sliced apple in when you roast sweet potatoes, along with a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Dates caramelize beautifully with cauliflower, and red grapes are delicious with fennel or squash. 

4. Speed Up or Slow Down

Don’t be afraid to turn your oven up as high as 500 degrees for a few minutes. A tiny bit of char brings out the complexity of sweet vegetables like cauliflower and carrots. Or slow down: Start with the oven at 325˚ and roast green beans, peppers or eggplant with plenty of olive oil until they are meltingly tender. This method, common in Turkish and Italian cooking, results in very silky, sweet vegetables.

5. Finish With Crunch

Sometimes roasted vegetables need a little texture: Think of nuts, seeds, croutons or even cereal or snack mixes as a finishing touch. For instance, roasted pumpkin or sweet potatoes are even better with a scattering of pepitas, pecans or walnuts. (Just take Anna Stockwell’s Delicata Squash Salad with Maple Vinaigrette, which is finished with crunchy pecans.) Jammy roasted tomatoes and peppers love a crouton topping. Roasted Indian-spiced cauliflower is terrific with a sprinkle of puffed rice or Chex, crunchy roasted chickpeas or Indian snack mix. 

6. Treat ‘Em Like a Salad

You’ve already added olive oil and salt before cooking; now think about adding the other elements of a great salad: tartness, richness and texture. This is exactly the genius idea behind HexClad Food Director Laura Rege’s Roasted Root Vegetables with Warm Bacon-Herb Vinaigrette, which amps the veggies up with pickled shallots and a wonderfully flavorful bacon dressing. 

If you’re winging it, think first of a drizzle of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon, which can make the dish sing. Then add richness: a dollop of tahini or grated or crumbled cheese, perhaps. For texture, you can toss raw vegetables into the warm cooked vegetables, such as chopped raw radicchio with roasted squash, or thinly sliced red onion with roasted cauliflower. That’s the move that makes this roasted Hasselback Butternut Squash so delicious. It gets a bracing dose of fresh cilantro and red chile before serving. 

Next time you find yourself with a crisper full of vegetables, try one of these easy upgrades for roasted vegetables that are endlessly delicious and completely customizable.