I first made these honey roasted carrots and parsnips on a complete whim without a recipe. I was cooking dinner for my parents and we just needed a veggie side.
After deciding that I would take some carrots and parsnips and roast them, I knew I needed to make them sweet and spicy.
For toppings, we had goat cheese, toasted chopped pistachios, and parsley (I’ve since changed the recipe to call for cilantro, more on that in a bit). I then added sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and honey.
The result – the most satisfying honey roasted carrots parsnips. This is a side dish that just tastes perfectly rich yet light. I think I was inspired by some of the vegetables and salads that I’ve enjoyed at Saba, one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans.
Table of Contents
Preparing your Carrots and Parsnips
This is totally up to you, but when I’ve prepared this dish, I cut my vegetables into thick sticks.
The good news is that there’s really no going wrong here. If you would prefer to cut your root veggies into rounds, that would work perfectly well too!
Here’s a little visual to show you how i like to prepare mine:
Variations on This Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips Recipe
Much like my other recipes, almost all ingredients here are swap-outable. That’s not a word but I like to think that you know what I mean.
Don’t like parsnips? Use 2 pounds of carrots instead.
Have a family member that hates cilantro? Sad, but okay. Use parsley or mint in its place.
The pistachios here can also be swapped for another roasted nut, and you can absolutely use crumbled feta instead of goat cheese if you prefer.
The spice and sweetness level here is also something that can be adjusted according to your preferences. As the recipe is written, it isn’t too spicy. Add more heat by using hot honey (like Mike’s Hot Honey).
And if you’re serving this to kids or anyone who doesn’t do well with red pepper flakes, simply leave them out and put some on the side for folks to add to their own serving as they please!
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
- 1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced into sticks
- drizzle olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios
- 1 bunch cilantro or parsley if you aren't a fan of cilantro
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- drizzle honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Place carrots and parsnips on 2 large baking sheets and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and cumin seeds. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and toss carrots and parsnips. Return to oven to roast for another 20 minutes or until caramelized and browned.
- Allow carrots and parsnips to cool a bit; taste to determine if they need more salt and pepper. Place carrots on your serving plate and top with goat cheese crumbles, pistachios, cilantro, red pepper flakes, honey, and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Looking for more recipes? Head over to my recipe archives.
