Tender and sweet winter root vegetables coated with the most amazing (and simple!) honey glaze, all roasted in the oven until the outsides just start to turn brown and caramelise. These honey roasted carrots and parsnips are so good you'll hardly have room for anything else on your plate this Thanksgiving or Christmas!
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Even though they're always my favourite thing at any big dinner, vegetables are one of the most difficult things to get right on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, don't you think? With fussy eaters and vegetable-haters spread out evenly amongst adults and children, it can be impossible to find festive vegetable recipes everyone loves...but not any more!
With this recipe for the most amazing honey roasted carrots and parsnips in your army, you'll be able to stand back and watch as people go back for seconds, thirds and even fourths. Forget about roasted potatoes - these honey roasted carrots and parsnips will soon be everyone's favourite winter side dish!
I think the best recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas are the ones that take minimal preparation and cooking fuss. And that's exactly what these root veggies are about. Simply peel them, coat them with a basic oil-honey-herb mix and roast them in the oven until they're caramelised and delicious.
There's no boiling, no chopping and no basting to worry about. Leaving you with plenty of extra time for things like open up a few extra Christmas presents (I'm crossing my fingers for Jamie Oliver's 5-ingredient cookbook this year!), actually tidy up some of the wrapping that's all over the floor from the presents everyone else opened or enjoy a sweet Christmas cocktail.
The secret to the most amazing honey roasted carrots and parsnips
There's one step in this recipe that might seem a bit weird to some cooks, but trust me on it. I don't roast these veggies in a dry or even an oiled baking tin. I pour a little water into a baking tray, add in the veggies and roast them in the water.
You might think this would make the edges soft and prevent them from crisping up, but it doesn't! It allows the veggies to steam while roasting at the same time, so the centres are soft and fluffy while the outsides are crisp and chewy.
Sceptical that there's no way something this delicious could be good for you? I honestly don't blame you. But this is likely one of the healthiest side dishes you'll make for your big feast this year! I use the smallest amounts possible of oil (which is olive oil - one of the healthiest cooking oils) and honey to create these amazing honey roasted carrots and parsnips.
And anyway, if you can't indulge on Thanksgiving or Christmas, when can you?
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📖 Recipe
The Most Amazing Honey Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large parsnips
- 2 tablespoons honey (substitute maple syrup for low FODMAP)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and pour the water into a large baking tray. Set to one side.
- Peel the carrots and parsnips. Chop the ends off and slice vertically into halves or quarters, depending on how fat your veggies are. The idea is to get them all roughly the same thickness. Place into a large bowl.
- Drizzle the veggies with the honey, olive oil, thyme and salt then toss to coat. Lie the carrots and parsnips in a single layer in the water on the baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for around 50 minutes, until the edges have crisped up and are starting to turn brown.
Nutrition
nibbles by mic
We LOVED this dish at Munching Mondays and are featuring this week as a FAVORITE!!!!!!! xo Nic
Malia @ Small Town Girl
Wow, I'm not a carrot fan but this sounds REALLY yummy! Pinned! Definitely will have to try soon!
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas
I'm not a big fan of cooked carrots but those look very tempting. I'm opening Sweet and Savoury Sundays early this week to make up for missing last weeks, so be sure to stop by and link up at the earlier time of Saturday 8am UK time. Happy New Year!
Kathryn Doherty
I seriously love carrots and I also adore parsnips (though I don't eat them nearly enough) and this recipe looks amazing! I would eat the whole pan! Yum!
Nicola Quinn
Thanks so much Kathryn! I struggle not to devour the whole pan as soon as I pull them out of the oven every time!
Sammi
Pinning! I need to remember to make these! Yum 🙂
Nicola Quinn
Thanks so much for the pin and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Easypeasylifematters
These sound yummy! I love how easy they are to throw together. Thanks for sharing on Full Plate Thursday 🙂
Nicola Quinn
Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
Miz Helen
Congratulations!
Your recipe was featured on Full Plate Thursday! Hope you are having a great day and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Nicola Quinn
Thank you so much for the feature, Helen! 😀
Nicole
Hi Nicola!! I am currently planning our Christmas dinner and came across this amazing side dish. YUM!!! I just have a quick question - you mention pouring the water "underneath" the carrots and parsnips; does this mean we should be cooking them on a baking rack? Thank you so much for the clarification!! 🙂
Nicola Quinn
Hi Nicole. So happy you're using one of my recipes for your Christmas Day menu!
Nope - no baking rack required here. I cooked my carrots and parsnips directly on the black tray that you can see in the pictures.
By pouring water into the tray that you're cooking the vegetables in, the water helps steam them and stop them drying out.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Nicole
Thanks so much, Nicola!! 🙂 🙂 Merry Christmas!!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
Easy to prep and delicious are two words I love together so these carrots have gotta be tried@ Thanks so much
Nicola
Thanks so much, Shashi!
Ludmilla
I love how easy to prep these carrots and they look amazing!!!
Nicola
Thanks so much, Ludmilla. They really are easy!
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
Yum! I love roasted veggies! This sounds so simple and easy, perfect for a tasty side dish!
Nicola
Me too, Kim!
Cricket Plunkett
These look absolutely perfect! Adding them to my Thanksgiving menu!
Nicola
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do 🙂
Platter Talk
For some reason, carrots and honey just go together. Your preparation of them looks soooo yum!
Nicola
I couldn't agree with you more!
April J Harris
My family and I are definitely parsnip lovers so I know we will love this recipe! I really like the addition of the thyme for depth of flavour. What a great holiday (or any day!) side.
Nicola
Thanks so much, April! My boyfriend hates parsnips, so I get to eat them all. Omnomnom 🙂
Sarah
I absolutely love roasted root veggies and these look amazing! Love the idea of adding a honey glaze!
Nicola
Thanks so much, Sarah! The honey really does make them taste so much better.
Alyssa
These look gorgeous! Perfect Thanksgiving side dish. The glaze on these vegetables is just so pretty in your pictures.
Nicola
Thank you so much, Alyssa!
MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou
Super shiny vegetables.., love your suggestion to make them for Thanks Giving, but it's the best option to eat all year round too! 😀
Nicola
Totally agree with you there, Krystallia!
Susan
Can these be frozen then re-roasted?
laura
agree with everything exept that carrots and parsnips lie in the pan. They're veggies, they lay.. And I also hope I don't miss the oil!!
Katie Crenshaw
I love that this recipe is so easy and simple, but also absolutely delicious! This is the perfect side dish for entertaining.
Nicola
Thanks, Katie! And you're totally right. It really is easy, delicious and perfect for entertaining 🙂
Linda @ With A Blast
Love the recipe ! This can easily become a favorite with my family !
Nicola
Thanks, Linda! I hope you love it as much as we all do 🙂
Shashi at Savory Spin
I tried these out during that week between Christmas and New Year and they were simply fabu! Thanks so much!
Nicola
That's absolutely fantastic, Shashi! I'm so happy to hear you like them 🙂 (P.S. LOVE the word fabu!!)
Jill
These do indeed look amazing. I never think about roasting parsnips along with carrots - now I'll have to try them!
Nicola
Thanks so much, Jill. Roasting them together saves a lot of time, space and makes them taste amazing!
Kristen Chidsey
Honey with carrots is always a winning recipe. I can't wait to try the parsnips in this 🙂
Nicola
I totally agree with you there - I love cooking carrots with honey!
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella)
Vegetables are my family's favorite part of the holiday meals we enjoy together. But I bet these would make them even more excited for side dishes. These look amazing!
Nicola
The veggies are always my favourite part of big meals too, Sarah! I hope your family love them as much as we do 🙂
Kathryn Gannon
Rosemary is supposed to go very well with carrots.
mm
I'm on a no added sodium and low to no sugar diet for heart reasons. What are the levels on this recipe and will the honey make it higher
Nicola
Hi! There's no added sodium in this recipe, so I imagine you'd be okay from that front. But carrots are naturally quite high in sugar and honey essentially is sugar, so I don't imagine this recipe will be a good fit for you, unfortunately.
Debbie Smaby
In water...absolutely! The carrots and parsnips become tender with water....thanks for a delicious dish!