Roasted Autumn Veggies: Healthy Comfort Food

Veggies aren’t everyone’s idea of comfort food, and they certainly haven’t always been mine. When I was little, I wasn’t much of a vegetable eater. In fact, I hardly ever touched the array of roasted veggies that my mom cooked for dinner every night. As for my family’s epic Thanksgiving buffet, I skipped over the veggie section entirely. With turkey and mashed potatoes in the lineup, why waste precious plate space?

In middle school, when my adventurous foodie side emerged, I came to realize that vegetables aren’t always a waste of space. After watching my mom sauté, simmer, steam and roast veggies night after night, I found myself questioning my automatic rejection of those colorful, healthy foods.

So I started tasting: first squash, then eggplant, zucchini, fennel and so many others. I memorized my mom’s rules for foolproof, flavor-packed cooking: olive oil, salt and pepper, and loads of fresh herbs. Before I knew it, I was actually looking forward to eating veggies.

Now, I crave them—most often the wholesome, roasted autumn veggies that my mom makes on chilly days including, of course, Thanksgiving. They’re simple, fresh and soul-warmingly good. When I think of these warm, herb-dusted veggies, I think of home, of a glowing oven and a meal shared with family. By that standard, as crazy as it might seem, roasted veggies have become one of my favorite comfort foods.

Fall Roasted Veggies

• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:30 mins
• Total Time:50 mins
• Servings:8
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 medium or 4 small zucchini quartered and cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 2 small or 1 large bulb fennel thinly sliced
• 1/2 a medium-sized red onion diced
• 1/2 a medium butternut squash peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or basil or thyme

• Step 1

  Cut the vegetables and preheat the oven to 425°.

  

• Step 2

  Place the veggie pieces in a resealable plastic bag, drizzle with the olive oil and shake until evenly coated with oil.

  

• Step 3

  Spread the veggies evenly on a jelly roll pan or large baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  

• Step 4

  Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, until the veggies are slightly soft and beginning to brown.

• Step 5

  Sprinkle the veggies with the chopped herbs and serve warm or at room temperature.

  

No matter how you've felt about veggies in the past, I hope you'll give these a try. They just might be the Thanksgiving comfort food you didn't know you were missing.