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Roasted vegetables may just be the best side dish after stuffing and dinner rolls – and especially so if they are colorful and full of flavor. This festive recipe not only tastes delicious, it also looks beautiful on your holiday table!
What’s to love
- Simple holiday magic. There’s a moment – right when the oven door opens – when the whole kitchen smells like celebration. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
- Warm, toasty textures (tender + crisp!). The combination of tender roasted vegetables and crisp-toasted pecans makes this feel extra-special.
- Choose your flavors. You can make this simple and elegant with savory herbs, or add a cozy spin by seasoning the vegetables with cinnamon. Both are equally delicious.
This is the kind of recipe you’d find written in looping handwriting on a flour-dusted recipe card tucked in Grandma’s cookbook… classic, colorful, and quietly show-stopping!
Printable recipe
Ingredients
- ½ medium butternut squash (peeled & cubed into ½-3/4 inch cubes (about 2-3 cups))
- 8 oz Brussels sprouts (halved)
- 1 red onion (cut into thick wedges/petals)
- 1 medium apple (sliced or cubed (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, etc.))
- ½ cup pecans (roughly chopped)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
Choose your festive flavor path:
- cozy & sweet: ½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- savory & elegant: 1–2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or thyme
Tips
- Optional Little Flourishes: Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs or orange zest and/or add crumbled goat cheese, feta, or blue cheese before serving.
Instructions
- Preheat & prep:Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease an unlined, rimmed sheet pan. Get your ingredients ready.
- Toss the veggies:On your prepared sheet pan, combine squash, Brussels sprouts, red onion, and apples.Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Season with salt, pepper, and your spice/herb choice. Toss until everything glistens.½ medium butternut squash, 8 oz Brussels sprouts, 1 red onion, 1 medium apple, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1-1 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, cozy & sweet: ½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, savory & elegant: 1–2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or thyme
- Roast – Part One:Spread in a single layer (no crowding – let things caramelize!). Roast 25–30 minutes, stirring once, until edges begin to brown.Scatter pecans and dried cranberries over the pan. Give a gentle toss.
- Roast – Part Two:Return to oven 5-10 more minutes, until:Squash is tender, brussels are golden, onions are soft and jammy, apples are sweet and glossy.
- Taste & finish:Add a pinch more salt or a drizzle of maple syrup if you love a sweet finish. Serve warm and watch it disappear!
Festive Roasted Vegetables
make your kitchen smell like home?Roasted vegetable FAQs
Most often, it’s due to overcrowding the pan. When vegetables are packed, they release moisture that gets trapped, causing them to steam rather than roast and caramelize.
A dark metal baking sheet works best. If you want to line it, use foil rather than baking parchment. However, an unlined dark metal pan works best.
Using a ceramic or glass dish, or one with tall sides, causes more steaming. Adding baking parchment to a baking sheet also yields more soft vegetables.
No, covering the vegetables traps steam and makes the vegetables soft!
The recipe is written to comfortably fit on a standard baking sheet. If you want to double the amount, you need to use two baking sheets.
Keep in mind that roasting them at the same time creates more steam in your oven, so the vegetables will be a little softer (but still delicious!)
Perfect to serve with
More Thanksgiving sides
The side dishes are one of the best parts of the sit-down holiday dinner, and these recipes are here to celebrate that!
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