This is another ingenious way to get picky eaters to try something new, while sneaking some wholesome goodness in the meal. This side dish uses healthy ingredients – a combination of good-for-you vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips all in one dish. Add some walnuts and toss with the sweetness of honey, sprinkled with pepper and salt. Don’t forget the thyme which not only adds to the aesthetics, for those looking, but gives it a hint of flavorfulness.
What I liked about this dish was the use of sweetness with the root vegetables and addition of walnuts. I was rather proud to serve it to a picky eater without having to disguise it with cheese, like in a gratin. I adore cheese and it’s another good way to introduce finicky palates to something they might otherwise be averse to, but it might not always be the healthier alternative.
It’s a sweet side and one that’s perfect for the Fall and Winter holiday tables. Serve it throughout the year with a homemade roast or succulent roasted chicken.
Serves 4-5
1 pound sweet potatoes (about 1 large OR 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes)
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3-6 sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 3-quart baking dish or Dutch oven, toss together sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, walnuts, honey and oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Top the mixture with thyme sprigs. Roast for about 1 hour OR until the vegetables are tender and browned around the edges.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a very nice side dish! I usually make honey glazed carrots and love the idea of roasting with walnuts and other root veggies. Thanks for sharing :)
Stunning! Love the addition of the honey and walnuts to the dish. This might be a great side dish for Easter – it is on my list! :-)
Gorgeous colors! Perfect side dish, yum!
This is beautiful! I love the colors, I love the honey, I love the walnuts, and I love the sprigs of fresh thyme!
Looks and sounds fantastic!
Yummy!!! I make a dish similar to this but with walnuts – I must try them!
Looks wonderful and very comforting! I love the walnuts, what a nice contrast with the sweet, soft veggies. Delicious. :-)
Yum! I love roasted veggies, and I bet that these are delicious with honey! I’m a little embarassed to admit that I’ve never had parsnips before – do they taste like carrots?
Honey…walnuts…roasted vegetables. I want a dish of this right now. Thank you for sharing such a delicious way to get in our veggies. Too good!
What a wonderful simple dish honoring the ingredients but also taking it up a notch. Love it.
Look how beautiful those root veggies are. I really need to work at getting more vegetables into our diet. BF gives me the stink eye when I serve them, but I love them.
Mmm, we do love our root veggies around here, and roasting in honey makes them all the more sweet. Great flavor combo and photos, Cristina… Thanks!
This looks beautiful. All of my favorite vegetables in one beautiful dish. Will be trying soon!
I made almost the same recipe a few months ago; you added honey and walnuts, which soundds interesting. I recommendi the addition of 1 or 2 swedes.
Jim
I love these flavors, and the addition of the walnuts sounds really nice.
What a lovely dish, Cristina! I love the flavor of carrots and honey together, and I know I would love it combined with other root vegetables and walnuts even more! Your photography is just lovely. Thanks for sharing your talents, and this recipe. This is a must-try for dinner sometime this week!
This looks so good. Love the addition on walnuts, what a great idea. Thanks for sharing Cristina
Wonderful and vibrant bowl of roasted veggies, looking delish ! Congrats on top 9 !
Wonderful roasted veggies, so good with honey!
This looks great. I normally just do a honey glaze for my carrots. I love the add of the other veggies.
This looks fantastic! I love root veggies, esp. the sweet potatoes. They gotta be very tasty roasted with honey and herbs.
delicious combintion flavourful
hi Cristina
now thats a vegetable for all seasons not just fall or winter….we just don’t use root veggies enough, and honey roasting them is such a great idea! I love roasted vegetables, and the walnuts are nice touch, adding texture and flavor.
This looks so delicious! I love roasted vegetables, and the flavors in this sound wonderful:)
These are such a wonderful side dish, especially the add of honey.
So gorgeous!
Okay this looks amazing! So gorgeous in color and I bet my 5 year old daughter would totally dig this.
Have a great weekend!
Roasting is the new black. I’ve discovered how amazing vegetables taste that I might at one time have steamed and it’s changed the way I cook. This looks and sounds fabulous.
What a great combination. Parsnips are a nice addition, I’ll have to try this, thanks.
Oh that looks so lovely! I love the colors of that dish – and the honey glaze is so yummy good!
Gorgeous! I love the honey – just adding to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and carrots – great job!
I like the addition of the walnuts to the roasted vegetables, it adds a little extra crunch to the dish. I might also add some crumbled goat cheese to it and call it a meal. I know that sort of defeats your attempt at not smothering veggies in cheese, but I can’t help myself, I put crumbled goat cheese or feta on practically everything!
looks so pretty and tempting!:)