Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale

Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale is a hearty vegetarian side dish that’s perfect for your holiday gathering. It’s made with beet, carrot, parsnip, butternut squash, red onion and kale, and topped with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds for added taste and texture!

Roasted Root Vegetables for Thanksgiving

Hey there! Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all my Canadian friends. I’m dropping in with a quick recipe today just in case you’re looking for a last minute side dish for your Thanksgiving feast. This one is going to be on our table tomorrow, in addition to turkey, ham, sweet potato mash, roasted baby potatoes, green beans and brussel sprouts. Oh, and stuffing and gravy, because the hubby will not be a happy camper if his turkey is not piled high with stuffing and gravy.

Root Vegetable Salad

So this roasted root vegetables salad was totally inspired by a lunch I recently had at a local restaurant. Mike and I went for lunch last weekend, and I had this amazing spinach salad with roasted root vegetables. It was a small salad, so it didn’t quite satisfy my hunger, but the combo of vegetables was delicious. And it was all topped off with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. The goat cheese was a bit melty on top from the warm vegetables and the pumpkin seeds added a nice little crunch!

So after we left lunch, I stopped at a local market, picked up a range of root vegetables and immediately went home to try to recreate the salad.

This recipe for roasted root vegetables is perfect timing for those of us living in Newfoundland. It’s root vegetable season, so it’s totally our time to shine!

I know, it’s really the small things that excite me, but I don’t always have the luxury of assembling my salads with all locally grown produce. So I’m taking advantage and making this recipe as much as possible over the next few weeks.

Tips for making this Roasted Root Vegetable Recipe:

• I used kale in this dish as it’s locally grown and the heartiness pairs nicely with the root vegetables. But you could absolutely use spinach or even arugula.

• The root vegetables are simply roasted with oil, salt, garlic and rosemary. I used fresh rosemary as I had some leftover from another recipe but you could also use dried rosemary (just reduce the amount to one-third), or change it up with fresh thyme or oregano.

• To prepare the kale, I just massaged it for a few minutes with a sprinkle of salt. Once the vegetables were roasted, I added the kale and let it sit for a few minutes so the kale could wilt a bit.

• If you don’t have access to some of the root veggies in this recipe, you can always substitute. Other types of squash or sweet potatoes would also work in this dish.

• I like my roasted veggies on the firmer side, so if you prefer them a little softer, just roast them longer. Keep in mind that the butternut squash cooks a little faster than the other veggies, so you might want to cut the squash in larger chunks.

Other Thanksgiving sides you might enjoy:

• Healthy Cranberry Sauce is refined sugar-free with hints of orange and blackberries, sweetened with maple syrup and thickened with chia seeds. 

• Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup is sweet and smoky with hints of coconut and spice. It’s dairy-free and can easily be made vegan.

• Roasted Balsamic Beet Salad with Maple Walnuts is loaded with greens, goat cheese, roasted carrots and beets, and topped with a cranberry balsamic dressing.

If you make these Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale

★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews

Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale is a hearty vegetarian side dish that’s perfect for your holiday gathering. It’s made with beet, carrot, parsnip, butternut squash, red onion and kale, and topped with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds for added taste and texture!

• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: Canadian, American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 cups chopped beet
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 2 cups chopped parsnip
• 2 cups chopped butternut squash
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups kale, packed, stems removed and torn
• 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, raw or salted

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F and grease a large cast iron pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the beet, carrot, parsnip, squash, onion and top with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and garlic. Stir until the vegetables are well coated.
2. Roast in oven for 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your desired liking. (For softer vegetables, roast a little longer). Be sure to stir the vegetables a few times to ensure they don’t burn.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, add the kale and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt to a large bowl and massage the kale until it softens a bit. (This should just take a few minutes).
4. Once vegetables are cooked, remove from oven and add the kale. Stir until combined and let sit for a few minutes until the kale wilts a bit.
5. Divide veggies and kale into 4 serving bowls and top with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds.
6. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days.

Notes

1. The butternut squash cooks a little faster than the other vegetables, so I cut the squash into 1.5-inch cubes and the other vegetables into 1-inch cubes.

Keywords: roasted vegetables, root vegetables