The Roasted Vegetable Mistake That Flattens Flavor (And The Pantry Staple That Solves It)

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With so many nutritious and delicious ingredients to choose from, the possibilities for roasted vegetables are both limitless and flavorful. With that said, there are still plenty of common mistakes everyone makes when roasting vegetables. Whether it's flubbing cook times, overcrowding the pan, or forgetting to cut the vegetables into uniformly proportioned pieces to ensure thorough and even cooking, there's a lot to consider. One common mistake is skipping out on the seasoning and oil, leading to bland vegetables and an underwhelming dish. The simplest trick to avoid this mistake and yield a dish with the best texture and taste is using your favorite vinaigrette as a quick marinade.

Essentially, you can pull out this pantry staple and use it to easily create a balanced and flavorful batch of roasted vegetables. Though vinaigrette is nearly synonymous with salad, it's actually a game-changing ingredient for flavorful roasted vegetables. The tangy and punchy tastes of any of your favorite store-bought vinaigrettes — or even a go-to homemade recipe – will provide the right amount of intensity and boldness for your roasted vegetables. Whether it contains mustard, citrus, tangy vinegars, or any other ingredients, they will add punch to the veggies.

All you need is approximately a quarter cup of vinaigrette per pound of vegetables. Simply toss the vegetables in the vinaigrette to ensure even coating before placing them on a prepared baking sheet, taking care to space them out before popping the tray in the oven to roast. Give them a toss halfway throught the cooking time to stop any sugars burning. This should work with just about any vinaigrette and vegetable combination you can imagine.

Roasting vegetables brings out both sweet and savory flavors, so the presence of vinaigrette is intended to complement this. For example, if you're roasting a batch of Brussels sprouts in the oven, it would be ideal to use a zingy balsamic vinegar or even something with a bit more unique flavor such as this Primal Kitchen Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette. This would help to bring out the sweetness of your roasted sprouts while adding a kick of ginger and sesame flavor.

For root vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots, prepare a vibrant citrus vinaigrette recipe as your pre-roasting marinade to provide a tangy complement to the vegetables' rich sweetness as enhanced by the roasting process. Vinaigrette is a quick fix to prepare these vegetables ahead of time with the right combination of oil, herbs, seasonings, and spices that you need, and avoid flavor disappointment when you've spent time chopping and roasting veggies.

Don't be afraid to get a little experimental whether you're using homemade or store-bought vinaigrette. Think of the flavors you enjoy the most and how these present both in roasted vegetables and a bottle of vinaigrette. For example, try using a bottle of Wish-Bone Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette to marinate a batch of corn for roasting and finish it off with a sprinkle of cotija cheese and Tajín for flavors inspired by a classic elote.