Roasted Root Vegetables and Winter Squash

Summer may give us some beautiful, amazingly flavorful produce, but fall isn’t such a slouch either. When the temperature gets cooler and daylight is fleeting, fall’s more hearty offerings are a welcome change from summer’s lighter tastes.

One of the best things about fall produce is how simple much of it is to prepare. Simple roasting brings out vegetables’ natural sugars resulting in sweet, caramelized morsels with very little effort. You can roast any number of things. Mellow sweet potatoes, assertive turnips, mild carrots, sweet butternut squash, spicy parsnips – you are only limited by the selection available at your local grocery store or farmers market. Serve your roasted vegetables as a side dish, puree them to flavor sauces and soups, or eat them hot right off the baking sheet.
Roasted Root Vegetables and Winter Squash

Ingredients:
5 cups assorted vegetables, cut into large bite-size pieces *
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt (kosher or sea salt work best)
Freshly ground black pepper

* I used butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil, stirring to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread vegetables in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Stir vegetables and roast for another 10 minutes, or until tender and caramelized.

Serve hot or room temperature.