Dinner Shortcut: Oven Roasting your Veggies Ahead of Time

I don’t know about you, but I am not organized enough to meal plan more than one day out, and most of the time, all that means is that I pulled some frozen protein out of the freezer before I left for work. Hopefully, I remembered to put it on the higher of my 2 counters; if not, my dog Beef (yes, long story) will eat it by the time I get home.

I realized that if I roast several veggies ahead of time, all together in the oven, then they’re ready for whenever I need them during the week. Then, to make dinner, all I need to do is warm the veg up in a pan or in the oven to be part of a meal. This may not sound like rocket science, but for me, it was a revelation. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus! I do not have time to roast a butternut squash after work and before dinner. If you don’t have time to do this in addition to your meal prep, get some of these veggies in the oven as you sit down to eat. They can cook while you eat and clean up.

I get my box on Tuesdays. So, depending on what day I can make time, I will oven roast select veggies in the oven on Tuesday or Wednesday night. I wash the produce, and cook it all at the same time in the oven. I usually use either a sheetpan covered in foil or parchment paper, or I just wrap the item(s) in foil and cook them on the oven rack in their foil pouches.

Veggies great for oven roasting—the ones that take a long time:

-Butternut, acorn, kabocha squash. Halve, de-seed, quarter (if necessary) and roast. No seasoning or oil needed.

-Beets. I peel them, and roast them whole up to baseball sized. Roast in a double layer of foil—added bonus: limited mess.

-Cauliflower: I cut the head into large florets, wash them, and drain them. Then, I toss the florets in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Then transfer to a sheet pan covered in foil and roast.

-Carrots, parsnips: wash and roast whole (no tops).

-onions and turnips: peel and halve.

Just avoid roasting any veggies that will turn to mush (zucchini, broccoli, etc). Those you want to cook once, right before you eat them. They’ll cook fast in the same amount of time you need to warm up that cauliflower. Dinner in 25 minutes!!!