The Autumn Side You Won’t Want to Stop Making: Roasted Fall Vegetables

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Do you ever find yourself struggling to come up with a new side dish to shake things up a little bit at dinnertime?

Closeup closely cropped shot of a serving dish and small blue plate of roasted pink, yellow, and white chopped autumn produce, printed with orange and white text.

When it comes to making side dishes, it’s all too easy to fall into the same habits, over and over again.

I can always seem to find new main dishes to make, or new desserts to treat myself to. But where side dishes are concerned, I get stuck in a rut.

A round white ceramic serving dish of roasted pink, orange, and yellow autumn produce, on a folded and gathered light blue and white checkered cloth, with a small blue and white plate topped with several forks, and a glass of wine, with gold serving utensils to the right, on a dark brown wood surface.

Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli – it all becomes quite mundane when you constantly rotate the same sides. You end up dreading making side dishes at all, and sometimes that can result in a boring side salad coming your way.

And during comfort food season, that’s one of the worst things in the world.

(Can you tell I am not an avid salad eater?)

Overhead closely cropped shot of a round white ceramic serving dish and a blue and white plate of roasted vegetables, with a fork, on a folded and gathered light blue and white checkered cloth, on a dark brown wood table.

This is why these roasted vegetables are going to become a side dish that you continually make, changing it up with different spices and seasoning ingredients each time.

Roasted root vegetables are a dinnertime favorite during the cooler months of the year. They pair delightfully well with traditionally hearty main dishes, like meatloaf, braised chicken, and roasted pork tenderloin.

A round white ceramic serving dish of roasted root vegetables with two glasses of wine on a brown wood table topped with a folded cloth and gold serving utensils, with a potted mum in the background, against a brown wood backdrop.

I personally like to pair these with rich meats like steak and pork, and they also pair well with richly braised lighter meats like a Coq au Vin, or something similar.

Aside from using seasonal ingredients to maximize the taste sensations in this side dish, there are pops of added flavor in this dish that are absolutely astounding, with no added salt or fat required.

A blue and white plate and a round white serving dish of of roasted carrots, turnips, radishes, russets and sweet potatoes, with a fork on a gathered cloth on top of a dark brown surface.

Turnips, russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and radishes are coated with a bright and flavorful mixture of orange, ginger, turmeric, and coriander.

These seasoning ingredients really bring out the flavors of the vegetables, but they also provide a bright and shiny zing of spicy and citrusy flavor in every mouthful.

Overhead shot of a round white serving dish of roasted pink, yellow, and orange vegetables, with a small white and blue patterned plate topped with three forks, a glass of red wine, and two gold serving utensils, on a gathered light blue and white checkered cloth, on a dark brown wood table.

Plus, everything used in this dish are easy to find at your local grocery store during the fall season, up to and well through Thanksgiving.

If you are looking for something different to serve with the turkey this year, this is the dish to bust out. It has the familiar flavors of russet and sweet potatoes that you usually see on the holiday dinner table, but with a twist that everyone will be flipping out about.

A round white serving dish of roasted root vegetables, on a folded light blue and white checkered cloth, with a blue and white plate and a stack of forks to the top left of the frame, and gold serving utensils to the right.

It’s a fun way to take the traditional sides that you know and love, and elevate them for the gathering that every food-loving friend and family member looks forward to every single year.

You can use up the vegetables in your pantry easily with this one, and don’t worry if your large roasting pan is already occupied by the turkey. You can use a couple of smaller roasting pans or baking dishes to help this dish come together. And you’ll find more details about that in the recipe below, of course.

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A portion of roasted fall vegetables on a small blue and white plate with a fork.

Roasted Fall Vegetables

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  • Author: Meghan Yager
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

These roasted fall vegetables are the one side dish that will go with any main entree that you make this season.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium-sized turnips or 1 large rutabaga
  • 2 medium-sized russet potatoes
  • 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 2 medium or 4 small radishes
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp orange juice
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp ground ginger (or 3 tsp grated fresh)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric (or 3 tsp grated fresh)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. Peel vegetables, except for the radishes. Chop everything into 1-inch cubes.
  3. Place all vegetables in a 6-quart roasting pan, or two 3-quart roasting pans. Add olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and salt. Stir to coat well.  
  4. Spread vegetables in a single layer and roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until vegetables are fork tender. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baking, Roasting
  • Cuisine: Vegetables

Keywords: fall, autumn, vegetables, root vegetables, vegetarian

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prepare Vegetables, Zest Orange, and Measure all Remaining Ingredients

First, get out your vegetable peeler, chef’s knife, and a sturdy cutting board.

Wash all of your vegetables well, then peel everything except the radishes.

Russet and sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, and radishes, on a black slate background.

Chop all of the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Since all of these are roots with a firm texture, cutting them to a roughly uniform size will help them to cook at the same rate.

If you notice that the texture of your selection of veggies varies, be sure to chop them accordingly.

Peeled carrots, potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, and a few whole radishes, on a slate surface.

Zest one orange, and set aside. Peel and grate the ginger and turmeric, if you are using them fresh.

Measure all of the remaining ingredients as listed.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Step 2 – Season

Add all of the chopped vegetables to a 6-quart roasting pan. If you don’t have a large roasting pan, you can use two smaller ones (mine were 3 quarts each).

Peeled and chopped orange and white root vegetables sprinkled with spices and orange zest, in a metal baking pan.

Top the vegetables with olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and salt. Stir well to coat all the vegetables.

Peeled and chopped root vegetables sprinkled with spices, in a metal baking pan..

Note: If you are using two pans, divide the ingredients evenly between the two dishes, or stir everything up together in an extra-large mixing bowl if you have one, and then divide the oil and spice-coated veggies between the two pans.

Step 3 – Roast

Spread the vegetables our in an even single layer. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until fork tender, stirring halfway through.

Serve immediately with freshly chopped parsley .

Can I Substitute Other Fall Vegetables?

Yes, you certainly can! That’s the beauty of this recipe, because a lot of the commonly available harvest-time vegetables are similar in texture with complementary flavors.

You can use all russet potatoes or all sweet potatoes if that’s all you have on hand. You can substitute rutabaga out for turnips if you prefer. You can even switch out sweet potatoes for celery root, or veer away from the root category and sub in pumpkin or your favorite type of squash.

A portion of roasted fall vegetables on a small blue and white plate with a fork.

Don’t like carrots? Try swapping them out for parsnips.

The possibilities are endless, and so are the options for what to pair these with when it comes to main dishes.

What will you serve this flavorful recipe alongside? Tell us in the comments below and be sure to give the recipe a five-star rating if you loved it!

Looking for more veggie-centered sides? We have plenty to share with you now:

Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on October 13, 2011. Last updated: November 16, 2021 at 18:14 pm.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Meghan Yager

Meghan Yager is a food addict turned food and travel writer with a love for creating uncomplicated, gourmet recipes and devouring anything the world serves up. As the author of the food and travel blog Cake 'n Knife, Meghan focuses on unique foodie experiences from around the world to right at home in your own kitchen.

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