In our household, roasting vegetables is the hands down favorite. Roasting imparts a toasty, caramelized flavor. Roasting is a super easy cooking technique, and it also increases the depth of flavor in your dish.
Check-out this post for a recommendation on the perfect ice cube trays to freeze your homemade baby food.
Roasting Tricks & Tips
- Preheat the oven between 375 – 400℉ and cook for 15-25 minutes depending on the size and type of ingredient. (Our oven has a convection mode. My go-to setting is convect roast at 400℉ for 20-minutes.)
- Make sure your sheet pan has a maximum temperature higher than 400, or it may warp.
- Cut veggies to a similar size.
- When it comes to roasting, we usually keep it simple. … a light coating of olive oil and a dusting of salt and pepper.
- If cooking different veggies at the same time, vary the size based on cook time. For example, I’ve found dense veggies like potatoes tend to require more cook time than broccoli. Make the size of the potato smaller than broccoli.
- When roasting squash, you can cube it. Alternately, cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, and roast cut side up.
- For garlic, slice off the top 1/3 of the garlic head and discard. Cut a square of aluminum foil that is large enough to hold the bulb. Place the bulb in the center of the aluminum foil square. Drizzle with olive oil. Take all four corners of the aluminum foil and bring them together above the center of the bulb to create a little pouch, like a dumpling. The garlic head will be finished cooking when the cloves are a toasted brown color and easily spreadable.
- For beets, scrub the root to remove residue. Slice off the top just below the stem and the bottom just above the thin root. TIP Save the beet leaves for use in a different dish. Cut a square of aluminum foil that is large enough to hold the root. Place the bulb in the center of the aluminum foil square. Drizzle with olive oil. Take all four corners of the aluminum foil and bring them together above the center of the bulb to create a little pouch, like a dumpling. Once the beet can be easily pierced with a fork, remove from the oven and slightly pull the corners to create a little vent for the steam to escape. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, protect your hands with gloves and rub the aluminum foil against the root to remove the skin.
Big and Little Faves
Below is a list of roasted fruits and vegetables that are well-loved by both Big and Little. Remove the skin where necessary (or desired) and cut into cubes of a similar size. Roast until the food shows toasted areas.
Depending on your child’s age, you can serve the roasted food whole, mash it with a fork, or puree it. You can change the texture of the puree by adding the water, breast milk, or formula.
- Acorn Squash
- Apple
- Asparagus
- Beet root
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Butternut Squash
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Celery Root
- Delicata Squash
- Garlic (an excellent addition to build flavor)
- Kabocha Squash
- Nectarines
- Onion (an excellent addition to build flavor)
- Parsnips
- Peaches
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Pumpkin
- Plum
- Shallots (an excellent addition to build flavor)
- Sunchokes
- Sweet Peppers
- Sweet Potato
- Baby Tomatoes
