Roasted Roots

Claire Wright

Featuring:

Beetroot

Effort:

Complexity:

Cost:

Serves: 4-6 as a side

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

500g mix of 2-3 root veg (and squash, if you like), chopped into bite-sized pieces - try veggies like: carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, celeriac, red or yellow onion (all sweet), beetroot (earthier stronger flavour), turnips/swede (stronger flavoured, more bitter)

3 tbsp oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Optional extras for a flavour boost - change up the flavour with: harissa, pesto or tahini; any citrus juice; balsamic; chopped fresh herbs; dried herbs or spices; crumbled feta or goat’s cheese; toasted flaked almonds or pumpkin/sunflower seeds; dressing (bought or homemade)

Up the veg for a roast dinner the easy way with this really simple side! Roasted roots is as simple as it gets: chop a few veggies (or buy prepped root veg), toss in oil and a little salt & pepper, and pop in the oven with your roast. Mix it up with different optional extra flavour ideas!

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C/gas 6. Toss the cubed veg in the oil, season with a little salt & pepper if you like, lay out in a single layer on 1-2 baking trays, then roast for 30-45 mins, or until softened and browned slightly. Add extra flavour with our suggestions, if you like!

Short on time? Try buying a bag of pre-prepped frozen root veg (mixed casserole veg, mixed root veg, or buy a couple of bags with different kinds to mix like sweet potato, butternut squash and parsnips), and cook according to packet instructions. They are usually a little quicker to cook, and eliminate the prep time.

Engaging Kids

Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating.

Kids in the kitchen

The eventual aim, if possible, is to get kids in the kitchen. Don’t worry, this doesn’t have to mean they are with you from start-to-end creating mess and rising stress levels! It can be as simple as giving them one small job (stirring, measuring, pouring, grating, chopping…) ideally involving veg. They can come in to do their little bit, and have fun with you for a few minutes. Getting them involved, making it playful and praising them plenty for their involvement, perhaps even serving it as dinner they “made”, makes it much more likely they will eat the food offered, not to mention teaching them important life skills. Find ideas, safety tips, videos and even a free chart in our Kids in the Kitchen section here.

Activities

While getting kids to interact with veggies for real and using their senses to explore them is best, encouraging hands off activities like arts & crafts, puzzles & games or at-home science experiments can be a great start, particularly for those who are fussier eaters or struggle with anything too sensory. Use these veg-themed activities as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. We have loads of crafty downloads here, puzzles here, and quirky science with veg here.

Sensory

Once you feel your child is ready to engage a little more, you can show them how to explore the veg you have on hand with their senses, coming up with playful silly descriptions of how a veg smells, feels, looks, sounds and perhaps even tastes. Find ideas, videos and some simple sensory education session ideas to get you started here.

Serving

The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it! Giving children a sense of ownership in the meal can make a big difference to their feelings going into it and the pride they take in it. You know your child best, but if you aren’t sure where to start, we have some fun and simple ideas for easy roles you can give them in the serving process over here.

Claire Wright

Editor: After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English Literature, Claire worked in various fields ranging from youth work and charities to publishing, before starting up a food-focused website when her first child was born. After being asked to project manage the publication of Veg Power's Crowdfunder book, Claire came on board as a fully-fledged team member in 2018 to take on the role of Communications Manager, then Editor, looking after Veg Power's website, content, recipes and social media platforms.

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