Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots with Garlic and Thyme is an easy dish to make and healthy too! By chopping your vegetables into small pieces and roasting them in the oven, ordinary vegetables transform into a sweet side dish that your family will love!
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The carrots are sweet and crunchy and the garlic and thyme add a savory depth of flavor that pulls the whole dish together. This roasted vegetable dish is healthy and flavorful, making it a perfect side for any meal.
This recipe is Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Whole30. It's perfect for the Phase 1 Kaufmann Diet.
What You Need
The best place to buy cauliflower is at a farmer's market. At the grocery store, look for evenly white cauliflower. It shouldn't have gray or black spots, which show decay. Try to buy organic if you can.
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Fresh Thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Oven Roast Cauliflower and Carrots
Chop your vegetables into evenly sized bite-size pieces. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper, and spread on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Separate cauliflower into florets, and slice through them, making one side flat.
- Peel and wash the carrots; cut into ½-inch pieces.
- Separate the garlic cloves and peel the cloves by pressing down with the side of a chef's knife.
- Add thyme and toss all of your ingredients in a big bowl, making sure your seasonings are evenly distributed.
When your vegetables are ready, scatter them on a parchment-lined sheet pan with the flat side of the cauliflower facing down on the pan. Roast in the center of the oven for 40 minutes.
Hint: After the first 20 minutes, check the veggies in the oven every 10 minutes. Depending on how fresh the vegetables are, or how large (or small) you cut them, your total cooking time will vary.
Substitutions
- No cauliflower? Use broccoli or get the recipe for Roasted Broccoli and Carrots.
- A good colorful substitute for the carrots in this recipe would be diced butternut or acorn squash.
- Use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, basil, or oregano in place of fresh thyme.
Variations of Roasted Cauliflower with Carrots:
For a different flavor profile:
- Spicy - mix a tablespoon of chili pepper flakes into the mixing bowl when incorporating all of your ingredients.
- Sweet - You can drizzle a tablespoon of honey over the pan in the final 10 minutes of roasting to make it sweet.
Storage
Store leftovers in a glass storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Use This Dish
On the surface, Roasted Cauliflower with Carrots is a side dish that would go with Roasted Chicken. However, it's much more versatile! What I like to do is roast a bunch of vegetables on Sunday afternoon and then incorporate them with really easy-to-make dishes on weekdays, so I don't have to cook so much every day.
For example, this batch of roasted cauliflower and carrots was paired with hard-boiled eggs, Buckwheat with Onions, and some fresh arugula. I topped the dish with crunchy Saltverk (from Iceland) and flaked sea salt from Iceland (it's fantastic salt!)
If I wanted to save more time, I'd fry a few eggs in Kerrygold butter instead of hard-boiling them. The dish could be a hearty Paleo or Phase One breakfast or lunch. This is how to eat gluten-free healthily. There's no sugar and nothing processed on this plate.
Try These Roasted Vegetable Recipes:
- Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic
- Baby Eggplant Poppers Roasted in the Oven
- Crispy Oven Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
- Quick Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli and Carrots
- Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- Roasted Baby Eggplant Parmigiana
FAQ
Yes, But... Be sure to thaw and pat them dry before roasting to minimize excess moisture. Keep in mind that frozen vegetables may release more moisture during cooking, which will affect the texture.
Yes, you can roast cauliflower and carrots together on the same baking sheet. Be mindful of their sizes and adjust the cooking time accordingly. Carrots may take slightly longer to cook than cauliflower, so you can cut them into smaller pieces.
Besides salt and pepper, try garlic powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, thyme, rosemary, or your favorite herbs and spices. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or a drizzle of balsamic glaze can add extra flavor as well.
"📖 Recipe"
Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 5-6 carrots
- 1 head of fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) with the rack set in the center of the oven. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper. See note(1)
- Remove the core from the cauliflower and chop the florets into 2" pieces. Rinse under cold running water. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Peel the carrots, rinse and cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices. Add the carrots to the bowl.
- Separate the cloves of garlic. Place the cloves on a cutting board, and with a large knife, with firm pressure, press down on the garlic until it peels. Discard the paper and trim away the root end of each clove; add to bowl.
- Add thyme, oil, salt and pepper. Toss with tongs, making sure your seasonings are evenly distributed.
- Scatter all on the baking dish. Roast 30 minutes. Pull a piece of cauliflower and test for doneness. Roast another 10 minutes or so. See note(2)
Notes
- Spicy - add a tablespoon of chili pepper flakes to the mixing bowl when incorporating all of your ingredients.
- Sweet - You can drizzle a tablespoon of honey over the pan for about 5 minutes before it comes out of the oven for sweetness. Good for Paleo and Kaufmann Phase 2, not good for Whole 30 or Kaufmann Phase One).
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