Easy Roasted Vegetables for Busy Weeknights

When we feel “too busy to cook,” it’s easy to go for the convenience food route—buy some fast food or heat up some microwave fare so that we can go straight to the eating part. But eating healthy does not need to be difficult to do, nor does it equate to a boring plate of tasteless food.

This roasted vegetable recipe is one we usually turn to when our hands are tied: simply round up your favorite hearty veggies, toss them in olive oil and season; bake in the oven as you complete other tasks like work, tutoring, or child-rearing. It’s great for a weeknight, and it’s filling, too—it is a helping of hearty veggies, after all!

Pair it with good, real food sources of protein: chili beans, boiled eggs, steamed or pan-grilled chicken, or homemade sausages (all of which can be prepared beforehand and heated/cooked on the stovetop), and a limited helping of steamed rice/whole grains or table buns/sourdough bread on the side.

for this batch, we used zucchini, grape tomatoes, white onion, and red bell pepper. you can use any combination of vegetables that you like.

From start to finish, this should not take more than 20-30 minutes to prepare and cook. It’s a good vegetable side dish for two or even as the main dish if you are vegetarian or vegan (just add more veggies, or pair with beans or tofu). Other vegetables you can use for this recipe include mushrooms and shishito peppers. You can also add squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots but you will need to add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time. Have fun roasting!

We have a small oven toaster so we put just enough veggies to fit the tray. this batch is good for two.

Good Old Roasted Vegetables

Good for 2 Adults

Equipment

Oven or small toaster oven

Mixing bowl

Aluminum foil

Baking tray that fits the oven

Ingredients

1 pc Medium-sized zucchini, cut into bite-size even pieces

6 pcs Grape tomatoes, sliced in half (if using bigger tomatoes, quarter them)

1 pc Small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 pc Small white onion, cut into rings

3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Pinch Sea salt (to taste)

Procedure

1. Combine all the vegetables in the mixing bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, and season with sea salt to the amount of your preference (not too salty!). Mix all the vegetables until all pieces are evenly coated.

2. Prepare the baking tray by covering it with aluminum foil. Carefully place the vegetables onto the baking tray and spread them out evenly.

3. Place the baking tray with the vegetables into the oven. Depending on your oven, you may need to lower or increase the temperature and cooking time to achieve a good roast. For our small oven toaster, it’s 15-20 minutes at 150-175 degrees Celsius.

4. Serve immediately while hot.

"This roasted vegetable recipe is one we usually turn to when our hands are tied: simply round up your favorite hearty veggies, toss them in olive oil and season; bake in the oven as you complete other tasks like work, tutoring, or child-rearing."