Maple Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Parsnips

Maple Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Parsnips

These are the roasted veg that make everyone at the table go quiet for a second before reaching for more. We've been making this combo every Christmas and Sunday roast season for years now and honestly, it never gets old. The carrots go sticky and sweet from the maple glaze, and the parsnips get this incredible golden crust from the vegan parmesan that is just proper delicious. It's one of those sides that quietly steals the show. If you've got 55 minutes and a baking tray, make these tonight.

Cook: 55 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • 2x large baking trays
  • Large pot
  • Food processor or blender
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • 800g carrots
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 800g parsnips
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 30g almonds
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt

Method

1

Prepare the Maple Carrots and Parsnips

  • Wash and trim the carrots
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add the carrots and simmer for 5 minutes to soften them. Drain and allow to steam dry for at least 5 minutes
  • Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes until the carrots are perfectly cooked
  • Peel and wash the parsnips, them cut into equal sized pieces
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add the parsnips and simmer for 3 minutes to soften. Drain and allow to steam dry for at least 5 minutes
  • Tip the parsnips into a large baking tray and toss with the olive oil and salt, spread them into a single layer and roast for 30 minutes
2

Prepare the Maple Glaze

  • Combine the olive oil, maple syrup, wholegrain mustard and thyme leaves to form a glaze
3

Prepare the Almond Parmesan

  • Spread the almonds out on the baking tray and roast for 8 minutes
  • Remove the almonds from the oven, add them to a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature
  • Add the almonds, nutritional yeast , oregano and a big pinch of flakey sea salt to food processor or blender, and blitz into a coarse meal
4

Finish the Vegetables

  • Once the carrots have been cooking for 15 minutes coat them in the maple glaze and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes then take out the oven
  • Carefully remove the parsnips from the oven and layer each parsnip with the almond parmesan. Return to the oven for 10 minutes so that they crisp up
  • Serve both the carrots and parsnips and dig in!

Tips & Variations

  • Get even sizing: Cut your parsnips into equal pieces so they all cook at the same rate. Nothing worse than half of them being soft and half still a bit woody.
  • Go heavy on the glaze: Don't be shy with the maple syrup. A generous drizzle means proper caramelisation and that sweet, sticky finish that makes these so good.
  • Make the parmesan crisp: Spread the vegan parmesan over the parsnips in an even layer and don't move them around too much once they're in the oven. Let the crust form and go golden before you touch them.

Why This Works

The trick is parboiling the carrots before they go in the oven. It sounds like an extra faff but it means they cook all the way through while the outside caramelises perfectly rather than burning before the middle is done. The maple glaze needs a good coating and high heat to really get that sticky, jammy finish. Trust us on this one, it makes all the difference.