Maple Tarragon Roasted Carrots

My dad’s side of the family always has cooked carrots in some form for most holidays. One year, I hosted Thanksgiving and while I felt obligated to serve some form of cooked carrots, I was bored with steamed baby carrots.

This recipe was an accidental success thanks to two things: my kids wanting to “help” cook and a bunch of extra ingredients on the counter.

I keep crinkle cutters for my little kids in the kitchen. They aren’t sharp enough to damage fingers and they’re perfect for letting kids chop veggies. When my kids were really little they were able to actually help and it kept them busy while I cooked. I usually cooked a few meals a week that let them help chop just so they could be involved.

And now that my kids are older and have had some cooking lessons, they can make most of the meals themselves!

How These Roasted Carrots Were Born

While I was busy with the sweet potatoes, turkey, mashed potatoes, etc., the kids asked to help. So I pulled out the crinkle cutter and a bag of carrots. Ten minutes later, my kids had cut five pounds of carrots into crinkle slices so I had to find a yummy recipe to make with them.

There was broth simmering in a pot, maple syrup left over from the pecan pie, and fresh tarragon from the turkey so this recipe was born. Everyone loved this easy recipe for oven roasted carrots. It makes a great side dish for special holidays like Thanksgiving or Easter, but it’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner.

Making Roasted Veggies

Roasted vegetables are easy to make and a delicious way to get nutrition in. I’ll often throw some veggies and protein on a sheet pan for an easy one pan meal. Parchment paper makes for even easier clean up! Brussels sprouts and root vegetables both work well for roasting. You can use fresh herbs like fresh thyme or fresh parsley for seasoning, but dried herbs like cumin and garlic powder work too.

Some recipes call for adding refined or brown sugar but it’s not really necessary. Roasting caramelizes the sugars in vegetables for a flavorful side dish. I like using maple syrup to add some more flavor and complement the natural sweetness of the carrots. You could even use one tablespoon honey instead for a honey roasted carrots version.

I used regular orange carrots but rainbow carrots or even baby carrots will work.

Steamed Carrots

If you don’t want to roast the carrots another option is to steam them. I mix the ingredients with some broth and simmer the carrots until tender. Here’s how to make the steamed version.

Ingredients:

Add all of the ingredients to a large pan and simmer carrots until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

What’s your favorite way to eat carrots? Share below!