Have you ever struggled to come up with a side dish at dinner time? We've all been there. Tired of everything in the pantry and not in the mood for anything too complex? Well, let me preemptively solve that problem for you. Carrots. Simply carrots. Fantastic roasted carrots with goat cheese and herbs de provence. It's so easy.
My shaky beginnings with this bright, sweet vegetable
I came late to the carrot game in life. I never understood them. It might have been because we only had them at holidays or that my mom steamed them to the point they were mush. I don't know. But they ranked up there with green beans when I was a kid. Yuck. I'd often be sitting at the dinner table alone after everyone finished. I was not allowed to leave the table until I ate my carrots. But eating them felt like such... defeat. I tried to feed them to the cat. I tried to stuff them in my napkin and throw them away. I was so defiant about eating vegetables as a child which is crazy because as an adult I love them! Especially carrots.
When in doubt go with roasted carrots
Carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to prepare. My favorite ways are sautéed in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper or roasted on a sheet pan. Roasting is a low maintenance way to prepare vegetables that allows you to stick it in the oven and walk away until they're done. I love that. Roasted carrots are bright and colorful and easy to elevate as well. Adding some goat cheese to the top of the carrots will take this side dish to a gourmet level. I chose herbs de provence as a topping, but you could certainly use thyme or parsley as well.
If you're looking for more side dish ideas, you should check out my Roasted Kohlrabi w/Lemon, Garlic Tahini Sauce or my Zucchini & Summer Squash Gratin.
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Roasted Carrots with Goat Cheese & Herbs de Provence
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 portions 1x
Description
This simple roasted carrots with goat cheese and herbs de provence is a killer side dish that matches with pretty much any protein.
Ingredients
- 5 medium to large carrots
- 2 ounces of goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon of herbs de provence
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and cut each carrot into three pieces.
- Cut each carrot piece in half, then cut into two or three carrots sticks, depending on the size of the carrot. We’re looking for uniform size here so the carrots cook evenly. SEE VIDEO.
- Transfer all your carrot sticks to a small sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper here. Maybe a ¼ teaspoon of salt or a touch more. Pepper to taste. Toss with your hands to coat all the carrots.
- Put the carrots in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and roast for 30 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Halfway through the cooking process take the carrots out and turn them with a spatula.
- While the carrots are cooking, take a hunk of goat cheese and cut it up into small pieces/crumbles. I bought a 4 ounce package of goat cheese and used half of it.
- When the carrots come out of the oven, transfer them to an oven safe serving dish. Put all the goat cheese crumbles on top of the carrots.
- Set your oven broiler to HIGH. Make sure you’ve moved your oven rack up high too. Put the carrots back in the oven for 5 minutes or so. Long enough to melt the goat cheese and char the carrots a bit more.
- Take carrots out of the oven and sprinkle a little herbs de provence on top. Serve immediately. Really – you should be ready to serve dinner now. If the carrots sit out too long the goat cheese will harden. It’s a bummer when that happens.
Notes
- If you don’t have herbs de provence you can use dried thyme, fresh thyme, dried oregano or fresh parsley.
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