Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Maple and Pecans
These roasted rainbow carrots are an easy and delicious side dish that doesn’t require a special occasion to make.
Rainbow colored carrots make such a pretty side dish.
They come in purple, white, red, yellow and orange, as well as variants on these colors.
The bunch of rainbow carrots in this recipe has a variety of colors…purple, bright yellow, creamy white, orange, and a brownish red.
About the Carrot Colors and Taste
What struck me the most when I first tried rainbow carrots was that there’s a subtle difference in taste between certain colors.
For example, the yellow and white carrots were slightly sweeter than the purple and red carrots.
What also surprised me was that the center cores of the purple carrots were orange rather than solid purple.
The purple carrots that have an orange center are quite eye-catching when sliced widthwise because of the contrasting colors that sort of resemble a pinwheel in motion.
The coloring inside of the purple and red carrots actually depends on the amount of “pigment” or “anthocyanins” that each carrot has.
So, you never know, you may just get a purple carrot that’s purple all the way through.
About Cooking the Carrots
In this recipe, the carrots are first baked (covered) until fork tender, then they’re oven roasted (uncovered) for a short time to brown them around the edges (caramelize).
In most recipes for roasted carrots, they’re cooked by oven roasting them only until the carrots are browned and caramelized…which is of course is delicious.
I found that by baking them first, the beautiful colors of the carrots are nicely preserved and look vibrant even after lightly roasting them.
About this Recipe
In this recipe, about 3 inches of the stems are left on.
This isn’t a requirement but leaving some of the stems on gives the dish a rustic and appetizing look especially when served in a shallow baking dish or pan (Gratin or Au Gratin pan); or a small sheet pan with edges.
The subtle maple flavor complements the earthy taste of the carrots, and the pecans add a nice light crunch to the mix.
And feel free to substitute the rainbow carrots with regular orange carrots if preferred.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Recipe – A bunch of Rainbow (colored) carrots with stems (or all orange colored if preferred), olive oil, pure maple syrup, salt and pecans
Equipment – A shallow baking dish or pan (Gratin or Au Gratin pan); or a small sheet pan with edges.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
For the Carrots:
Trim the stems and leaves from the carrots, leaving about 3-inches of the stems attached to the carrots.
Wash the carrots and stems thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt.
Then, trim off the thin root at the bottom of each carrot and…
…peel the carrots.
In a shallow baking dish or pan such as a Gratin or Au Gratin pan, lay the carrots out so that each one is laying in the opposite direction (this saves some space in the baking dish or pan).
For the Assembly:
Drizzle olive oil on top of the carrots.
Then, turn over and roll each carrot in the olive oil so that all sides of the carrots are coated in oil.
Next, drizzle maple syrup on the carrots…
…and top them with a sprinkle of salt.
Then turn over and roll each carrot…
…so that the salt and maple syrup lightly coats all sides of the carrots.
Bake in the Oven:
Cover the baking pan with foil and bake in a preheated oven until the carrots are fork tender (about 20 minutes).
Next, remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil (there may be steam when opening foil).
Put the pan with the carrots back in the oven (uncovered) until the carrots are brown around the edges (lightly caramelized) (about 10 minutes).
Serving the Roasted Carrots:
For Serving – Remove the pan from the oven and lightly drizzle olive oil on top of the carrots (so the chopped pecans will stick to the top of the carrots)…then top the carrots with finely chopped pecans.
Serve right away while warm.
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Roasted Carrots with Maple and Pecans
Ingredients
For Cooking:
- 1 bunch (about 7 carrots) Rainbow (colored) carrots with stems or bunch of orange carrots if preferred
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking the carrots)
- 3 pinches salt
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
For Serving:
- 2 drizzles olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
Equipment
- A shallow baking dish or pan (Gratin or Au Gratin pan); or a small sheet pan with edges can also be used
Instructions
For Cooking:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Trim the stems and leaves from the carrots, leaving about 3-inches of the stems attached to the carrots. Wash the carrots and stems thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt. Trim off the thin root at the bottom of each carrot. Peel the carrots.
- In a shallow baking dish or pan such as a Gratin or Au Gratin pan, lay the carrots out so that each one is laying in the opposite direction (this saves some space in the baking dish or pan).
- Drizzle olive oil on top of the carrots. Then, turn over and roll each carrot in the olive oil so that all sides of the carrots are coated in oil.
- Drizzle maple syrup on the carrots and top them with a sprinkle of salt.
- Then turn over and roll each carrot so that the salt and maple syrup lightly coats all sides of the carrots.
- Cover the baking pan with foil and bake in a preheated oven until the carrots are fork tender (about 20 minutes).
- Next, remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil (there may be steam when opening foil).Put the pan with the carrots back in the oven (uncovered) until the carrots are brown around the edges (lightly caramelized) (about 10 minutes).
For Serving:
- Remove the pan from the oven and lightly drizzle olive oil on top of the carrots (so the chopped pecans will stick to the top of the carrots) and top the carrots with finely chopped pecans.
- Serve right away while warm.
Notes
TIP:
Before Serving - Just after removing the roasted carrots from the oven, drizzle a little olive oil on top of the carrots before adding the pecans so that the pecans will stick to the top of the carrots.Side Dish Recipes
Here are more side dishes you may like “Candied Yams with Marshmallows and Pecans“, “Bourbon and Maple Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Feta“, “Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Tomatoes“.
Recipes with Carrots
Here Are More Recipes with Carrots You May Like:
Carrot Cake Banana Bread Baked Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Frosting
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots, Potatoes and Gravy
