Roasted Rainbow Carrots Recipe
Roasted rainbow carrots, tossed with savory spiced oil and dusted with fresh cilantro, make a wonderful side dish for the holidays or any day.
Calories: 85kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (908 grams) rainbow carrots
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F with two racks close to the center.
- How you prep the carrots will depend on their size, shape, and skin texture. Tender baby carrots can be left whole, with skin on and an inch or so of the green stems attached. Larger ones and those with gnarly texture can be peeled, trimmed, and cut into quarters, halves, chunks, or coins. Try to cut all pieces to a reasonably similar size so they will roast evenly.
- Place the carrots on one baking sheet and toss with half the oil and the salt and pepper until glistening evenly.
- Transfer half the carrots to a second baking sheet and arrange each half in a roomy single layer.
- Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 25 minutes depending on size.
- While the carrots roast, place the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and the mustard and cumin seeds into your smallest pan.
- Cover loosely (to prevent seeds from popping everywhere) and warm over medium heat until the seeds start to pop vigorously, then remove from heat and let sit until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with the cumin and mustard seed oil over the carrots on baking sheets and carefully toss to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro and toss once more before transferring to a serving platter.
Notes
- Rainbow carrots contribute a festive color scheme to this dish. The chemical compounds that create their varying colors also yield subtle variations in flavor profile and a wider spectrum of nutritional benefits. They're sometimes sold as tricolor carrots, even when they come in more than three colors. If you can't get your hands on them or don't want to, this recipe also works beautifully with regular orange carrots.
- Whole cumin seed has a more complex flavor than its ground counterpart, especially when toasted. It adds tons of savoriness and a pleasant crunch to this recipe.
- Black mustard seed (sometimes called brown) is different from yellow mustard. It has a warmer, more complex flavor profile. Black mustard seed is a frequent ingredient in Indian cooking and is well worth buying if you don’t already have it on hand. (You can type “black mustard seed” into the search bar on this site for some more great ways to use it.)
- Cilantro adds a pop of fresh flavor and makes a dreamy counterpoint to the cumin and mustard seed. If you're not a fan, you can substitute flat-leaf parsley.
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- These roasted rainbow carrots make a lovely side dish for a wide variety of meals. I tend to think of them in the fall and winter months, including at the holidays. Alternatively, you can make them an element of a vegetarian or vegan main dish by tossing in some chickpeas, cubed and pan-fried halloumi, or salt and pepper tofu.
- This recipe is easy, hands-off, and relatively quick to make, and the crisp-outside, tender-inside vibes are best shortly after roasting. I don't tend to do it in advance. That said, these carrots taste great at room temperature, too, and leftovers keep well in the fridge for a week.
Nutrition
Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.7g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 2.8g | Fiber: 4.3g