Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots

Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots

A simple and delicious side dish of sweet Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots. A simple and delicious side dish of sweet cooked carrots that have been caramelized a bit on the stove, then popped in the oven to finish cooking. An easy way to get delicious veggies into your meal. And, they are fancy enough for a holiday meal, or simple enough for a weeknight dinner!

Easy side dish

I’ve been making these carrots for a few months now, and I love ’em! You may have seen me post about them when I wrote my Christmas 2012 Dinner menu. They’re easy, tasty, and healthy. I make them all the time for dinner now. A simple dinner like roasted fish or seared tofu with a side of rice or Orzo and super yummy roasted carrots.

Healthy & delicious

Carrots are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, fiber, and beta-carotene (which was named after carrots!). Carrots can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, or roasted (my favorite). If your carrots are organic, you don’t need to peel them, just scrub them clean. If they’re not organic or if they’re old or really thick, you may wish to peel them. Read more about the health benefits of carrots at World’s Healthiest Foods.

Long skinny carrots

I like the skinny long carrots from the market, rather than the big thick carrots (I think of those big thick ones as being the ones that we used to feed to horses). And, carrots are really easy to grow in your garden & super fresh then!

This simple side dish would be super impressive with those beautiful colored carrots from the farmer’s market! These carrots make a great addition to a salad as well!

Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots Recipe Notes

The recipe easily doubles or triples (just try not to crowd the pan too much or they won’t brown). And, the maple syrup is also easily adjusted, add a little less if you’d like them not as sweet.

I’ve cut the carrots into similar sized pieces, some have been cut in half lengthwise, and all were cut into about 4-5-inch long pieces

The carrots are in the cast iron skillet on the stove; this is about half way through stove-top searing

Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots Recipe

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Maple-Thyme Roasted Carrots

Servings 2

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 1 bunch carrots scrubbed clean and peeled (see note on peeling above)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Depending on the size of your carrots, cut them in half lengthwise, and possibly in half or thirds widthwise. You want your carrot pieces to be roughly uniform in size so they all cook at about the same rate.
3. Heat oil in a heavy oven-proof skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet. Once the oil is nice and hot, add carrots, and sauté 4-6 minutes until they begin to brown. Don’t stir too much, the longer they touch the bottom of the pan, the faster they’ll brown.
4. Sprinkle with thyme and salt. Pour maple syrup over the top, and give it a quick stir (it’ll start to spatter at this point). Place the pan in the oven and roast at 400° F for 8-9 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Adapted from The Fountain Avenue Kitchen