Roasted root vegetables with thyme and honey (one tray)

By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Sources checked 5 November 2026

One tray of carrots, beetroot, parsnips, sweet potato and red onion, roasted hot until the edges catch, then glazed with honey, lemon and thyme for the last 15 minutes. Serve it next to fish, beans or a roast, or turn it into a light main with a spoon of garlic yogurt and some feta. The honey goes in late on purpose: added at the start, it burns before the vegetables are soft.

Portion: 2-3 as a light main · Difficulty: Easy, one large tray · Diet: Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free

Roasted root vegetables with thyme and honey

Carrots, beetroot, parsnips, sweet potato and red onion roasted on one tray and glazed with honey, lemon and thyme. A side or a light main in about an hour.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Sides

Servings 4 servings

Calories 313 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 300 g carrots about 4 medium, peeled
• 300 g beetroot 2 medium, peeled
• 250 g parsnips 2 medium, peeled, or the same weight of celeriac
• 350 g sweet potato 1 large, scrubbed or peeled
• 2 small red onions 150 g
• 6 cloves garlic 18 g, unpeeled
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil about 40 g
• 1 tbsp honey 21 g
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 15 g
• 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp fine salt 5 g
• Black pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Line a large roasting tray with baking paper; if your tray is small, use two. Crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
• Cut the carrots and parsnips into 5-6 cm batons, the sweet potato into 3 cm chunks, the beetroot into 2 cm wedges and the onions into 6 wedges each. Beetroot is denser than the rest, so it needs the smaller cut to be ready at the same time.
• Toss the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and onions in a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, most of the salt and some pepper. Spread them on the tray in one layer. Toss the beetroot separately with the last tablespoon of oil and the rest of the salt and put it at one end of the tray, so it does not stain everything pink.
• Tuck the garlic cloves and half the thyme sprigs between the vegetables. Roast for 25 minutes.
• Stir the honey, lemon juice and the leaves from the remaining thyme together. Take the tray out, turn the vegetables with a spatula and drizzle the glaze over them. Roast for another 15-20 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the beetroot and the edges are caramelised.
• Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins over the vegetables, taste for salt and serve warm.

Keyword autumn, beetroot, carrots, gluten-free, honey, one tray, parsnips, roasted vegetables, root vegetables, side dish, sweet potato, thyme, vegetarian, winter

Nutrition per serving

Per serving, 1/4 of the tray, calculated from USDA FoodData Central for each ingredient, including all the oil and the glaze.

Data: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Carrots, raw (FDC 170393); Beets, raw (FDC 169145); Parsnips, raw (FDC 170417); Sweet potato, raw, unprepared (FDC 168482); Onions, raw (FDC 170000); Garlic, raw (FDC 169230); Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413); Honey (FDC 169640); Lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747). Weights are for peeled, trimmed raw vegetables; roasting drives off water but not energy. Thyme and black pepper are not included. The figures are for parsnips; with celeriac they will be somewhat lower (not calculated). Carbohydrate is USDA “by difference” and includes fibre.

Swaps and variations

• Light main: spread 200 g thick yogurt mixed with a grated garlic clove on a platter, pile the warm vegetables on top and finish with crumbled feta and toasted walnuts.
• Other roots: celeriac, turnip, swede or wedges of pumpkin, at the same total weight.
• Vegan: use maple syrup instead of honey.
• Spiced: add 1 tsp ground cumin or smoked paprika to the oil before tossing.
• Leftovers into soup: blend with hot vegetable stock until smooth.

Storage and reheating

Keeps 4 days in a closed container in the fridge. Reheat on a tray at 200°C for about 10 minutes so the edges crisp again; the microwave works but leaves them soft. Cold leftovers are good stirred into a grain or lentil salad. Freezing is not recommended, as the vegetables turn watery.

Related

• Recipes: Beetroot and walnut salad · Warm lentil salad with roasted carrots and feta · Roasted pumpkin with chickpeas, tahini and pomegranate
• Encyclopedia: Beets · Sweet potato · Carrot
• Diet: Mediterranean diet · 7-day Mediterranean meal plan

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