3-Ingredient Maple Pecan Glazed Carrots Recipe

All too often, side dishes are treated as an afterthought, but with a few simple tweaks, you can take a simple ingredient such as a carrot and make it into a showstopper. Upping your side dish game is a quick and easy way to elevate a whole meal, and after all, why should it only be the main that gets all the attention?

This 3-ingredient maple pecan glazed carrots recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, provides a simple and delicious way to upgrade your carrots from basic to brilliant with only three ingredients. Roasting vegetables is a time-honored way of bringing out their sweetness and creating a richer flavor, and with the help of maple syrup, these glazed carrots become wonderfully caramelized and tender. Pecans make a perfect pairing with maple syrup, and they add a delightful savory nuttiness that works beautifully with the sweet carrots, giving you a mouthwatering side dish that will shine beside any main.

So, whether you are looking for an easy way to elevate your weekday dinners or a fabulous side for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, this 3-ingredient maple pecan glazed carrots recipe is one to bookmark.

To begin this 3-ingredient maple pecan-glazed carrots recipe, first, you will need to gather the ingredients. You will need carrots, maple syrup, and pecan nuts. To cook the carrots, you will additionally want olive oil, and salt and pepper. If you would like a garnish for your side dish, then you can also optionally use some fresh parsley.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Prepare the carrots by slicing them in half.

Place the carrots into a baking tray.

Drizzle the carrots with the olive oil and maple syrup, and season well with salt and pepper.

Toss everything in the tray to thoroughly coat the carrots.

Roast the carrots for 25 minutes.

Roughly chop the pecans.

Remove the baking tray from the oven and sprinkle the chopped pecans over the carrots.

Return the carrots to the oven to roast for 10 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

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This simple maple pecan glazed carrot recipe is a great way to elevate your side dish game, but the fun doesn't have to stop here. There are plenty of ways you can add flavor to roasted vegetables according to your personal preferences. Herbs such as thyme, oregano, and rosemary work really well alongside the other elements of this recipe and will add additional depth and woody tones to the dish. Alternatively, you can mix in some spices such as paprika, cumin, ginger, or cayenne pepper, for an aromatic, savory warmth and a little heat.

Adding a touch of citrus, such as a squeeze of lemon or a little orange zest, will add a lot of brightness to this dish, as well as balancing out the sweetness of the carrots and maple syrup. Another way to balance the sweetness is to add a little Dijon mustard into the mixture.

While pecans make a classic pairing with maple syrup, you can easily switch these out for another nut, such as walnuts, hazelnuts, or even almonds, to add a similar nutty crunch to the dish. The additions don't have to stop there, though. Why not add some parsnips or cauliflower to the baking tray for a mixed vegetable side? Alternatively, you can serve the glazed carrots with crumbled feta or a spoonful of lemon yogurt to further elevate your side dish with some tangy zestiness.

At this stage, it's a pretty well-established fact that oven roasting is a far superior way to prepare and cook vegetables than boiling them in a pan. However, you don't have to just have to rely on your trusty oven to create a great side dish, and this maple pecan glazed carrot recipe can be made using different methods according to what you have on hand.

Air fryers are a popular kitchen appliance these days, and for good reason. They consistently turn out great food with less cooking time, and the same can be applied to this recipe. To cook this dish in your air fryer, simply toss the sliced carrots in the olive oil, maple syrup, and seasonings before adding them, in a single layer, to your preheated air fryer. Cook them for roughly 15 minutes at 400 F, adding the chopped pecans 10 minutes in, until the carrots are tender and caramelised.

Another way to prepare this dish is by using your stovetop. To glaze the carrots in a pan, cook the sliced, seasoned carrots in olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until they soften. Add the maple syrup and pecans to the pan and cook for another few minutes until the carrots begin to caramelize, then serve.

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