My roasted baby carrots with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette are the perfect side dish for your next meal. Or a vegetarian appetizer, ultra-simple to make and packed with flavor and nutrients. The strawberry balsamic vinaigrette adds a zingy sweetness that brings these sweet roasted carrots to life.

You’re thinking strawberries and carrots… do they actually work? They work all right! It’s an amazing combination of fresh local ingredients. I pan-roast the carrots and make the strawberry vinaigrette using a mortar and pestle.

After roasting the baby carrots I toss them in the strawberry vinaigrette. This coats the carrots before laying them on a plate. I hit the roasted baby carrots with fresh ground Himalayan pink salt and black pepper. The last touch is a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

Roasted Baby Carrots With Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients

The ingredients you will need for my sweet, tangy roasted carrot recipe are — baby carrots, fresh thyme, rice bran oil, quality sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

You’ll need fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar, yellow mustard, and avocado oil for my strawberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette can be made in advance or while roasting the carrots, as it only takes minutes to smash together.

The Ingredients

Roasted Baby Carrots

• 1.2 kg (2.65lb) Baby carrots.
• ½ tsp Salt Himalayan pink.
• ¼ tsp Black pepper freshly ground.
• 1 tbsp Rice bran oil.
• 4 sprigs Thyme fresh.

How to season food is an art that combines creativity, intuition, and a deep understanding of flavors. That transforms ordinary ingredients into extraordinary culinary masterpieces.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2 Strawberries fresh.
• ½ tsp Salt Maldon sea salt.
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar.
• 1 tbsp Mustard yellow or Dijon.
• ¼ cup Avocado oil.

Roasting Baby Carrots The Method That Works

Roasting is a method of cookery that involves dry indirect heat. Adding a cooking medium like rice bran oil to the carrots before roasting promotes caramelization. This is a great way to enhance the flavor and texture of your baby carrots.

When roasting baby carrots, the natural sugars in the carrots are caramelized. This brings out their sweetness and adds a depth of flavor. The high heat also causes the carrots to develop a slightly crispy exterior while remaining tender.

Roasted Baby Carrots: The Detail

• Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F) — For a convection oven, 165°C (329°F) — Gas mark 4.

1. Prepping The Baby Carrots — Peel and clean the tops of the carrots by carefully scraping the tops with a paring knife. Then, wash and dry the carrots.
2. Cooking The Baby Carrots — Heat a pan to medium, and drizzle in about 1 tbsp of rice bran or vegetable oil. Add the carrots and sauté them until they start to caramelize. Add the fresh thyme leaves and place into the oven for 10 minutes.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

3. Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette — You can make the strawberry vinaigrette while the carrots are roasting in the oven. Hull and slice the strawberries. Place them into the mortar with the Maldon sea salt. Lightly crush the strawberries with the pestle until they are pulpy. Add the balsamic and mustard.
   • Using a small spring whisk, mix the ingredients. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the avocado oil. The emulsion will start to come together. Keep whisking after all the oil has been added.

Finishing Touches And Platting

After 10 minutes in the oven, the carrots should have some caramelization. Place them into a bowl, drizzle in the strawberry vinaigrette, and toss the carrots so they are evenly coated with the dressing.

4. Platting — Place the carrots onto plates in a neat pile. Drizzle over a little more strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, grind some black pepper over the top, and garnish with more fresh thyme leaves.

Pairing Suggestions

You can serve these beautifully roasted baby carrots with a variety of dishes. They are great as a side dish with marinated chicken, rubbed pork belly mixed into a ribeye steak, and roasted vegetable salad. They are great as a side with roasted lamb leg or on their own as a healthy snack.

Serving sides like roasted baby carrots with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is an excellent way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.

Ingredient Substitutions and Options

When preparing my dish of roasted baby carrots with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, there may be instances where specific ingredients are unavailable. Here are some substitution options if you are looking for a more cost-effective alternative.

• As An Alternative To Baby Carrots — you can use regular carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, baby turnips, or even Brussels sprouts. All these vegetables roast up well and would complement most main meals.
• If Fresh Thyme Isn’t Available — Substitute it with dried thyme. However, dried thyme has a slightly different flavor; the earthly subtle sweetness doesn’t come through in the flavor. You can also use rosemary, sage, tarragon, or fennel.
• When Making The Strawberry Vinaigrette — You could replace the strawberries with raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. They all have suitable flavors that complement the balsamic vinegar and will add a nice sweetness and acidity to the baby carrots.

My Roasted Baby Carrots

Oven-roasted baby carrots with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is a delicious and healthy side dish for any dinner table.

They are easy to make, and the combination of flavors will wow your family and friends. Give this roasted baby carrot recipe a try tonight. Roasted baby carrots are an excellent addition to your recipe collection.

Cooking Is A Science And A Skill

Cooking is a science and a skill that requires a deep understanding of both the technical and creative aspects. Cooking is also a matter of precise measurements and ratios.

For example, baking is particularly sensitive to accurate measurements and temperatures. A slight deviation in the amount of an ingredient or cooking degrees can result in a completely different outcome. So, to help you here is a handy little unit converter tool for cooking without guesswork.

Roasted Baby Carrots With Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

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PREP TIME: | 5 minutes mins

COOK TIME: | 15 minutes mins

TOTAL TIME: | 20 minutes mins

SERVINGS: | 4 people

AUTHOR: | Shannon The Helpful Chef

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DESCRIPTION

DISH SUMMARY

Are you looking for your next side dish to accompany your next meal? Here is my amazing recipe for roasted baby carrots with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.

Equipment

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  Cookware
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  Kitchen Gadgets
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  Kitchen Knives

Ingredients

1x2x3x

METRICUS CUSTOMARY

• ▢ 1.2 kg Baby carrots
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt Himalayan pink
• ▢ ¼ tsp Black pepper freshly ground
• ▢ 1 tbsp Rice bran oil
• ▢ 4 sprigs Thyme fresh

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

• ▢ 2 Strawberries fresh
• ▢ ½ tsp Salt Maldon sea salt
• ▢ 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 tbsp Mustard yellow or Dijon
• ▢ ¼ cup Avocado oil

Instructions

SHOWHIDE

• Preheat Your Oven – 165 °C or 175 °C

  Prepping Carrots — Peel and clean the tops of the carrots by carefully scraping the tops with a paring knife. Then, wash and dry the carrots.
  
• Cooking Carrots — Heat a pan to medium, and drizzle in about 1 tbsp of rice bran or vegetable oil. Add the carrots and sauté them until they start to caramelize. Add the fresh thyme leaves and place into the oven for 10 minutes.
  
• Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette — You can make the strawberry vinaigrette while the carrots are roasting in the oven. Hull and slice the strawberries. Place them into the mortar with the Maldon sea salt. Lightly crush the strawberries with the pestle until they are pulpy. Add the balsamic and mustard.
  
• Using a small spring whisk, mix the ingredients. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the avocado oil. The emulsion will start to come together. Keep whisking after all the oil has been added.
  
• After 10 minutes in the oven, the carrots should have some caramelization. Place them into a bowl, drizzle in the strawberry vinaigrette, and toss the carrots so they are evenly coated with the dressing.
  
• Platting — Place the carrots onto plates in a neat pile. Drizzle over a little more strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, grind some black pepper over the top, and garnish with more fresh thyme leaves.
  

Chef Tips

TIPS FOR ROASTING BABY CARROTS

• Ensure the oven has been preheated to 175°C (347°F). For a convection oven, 165°C (329°F).
• Lightly caramelize the baby carrots in a medium-heated pan before placing them in the oven. This will help give them a light crust, adding flavor and color.
• Season the carrots when you put them into the pan. This will help their natural flavor and sweetness come through, and they will slightly dry out and caramelize even more.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. Try to keep the carrots on a single layer. They will cook more evenly and brown nicely. Ensuring they are tender with a little crunch.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS AND OPTIONS

• As An Alternative To Baby Carrots — you can use regular carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, baby turnips, or even Brussels sprouts. All these vegetables roast up well and would complement most main meals.
• If Fresh Thyme Isn’t Available — Substitute it with dried thyme. However, dried thyme has a slightly different flavor; the earthly subtle sweetness doesn’t come through in the flavor. You can also use rosemary, sage, tarragon, or fennel.
• When Making The Strawberry Vinaigrette — You could replace the strawberries with raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. They all have suitable flavors that complement the balsamic vinegar and will add a nice sweetness and acidity to the baby carrots.

Nutrition

Serving>1 serve | Calories>269kcal | Carbohydrates>27g | Protein>2g | Fat>18g | Saturated Fat>2g | Polyunsaturated Fat>3g | Monounsaturated Fat>11g | Sodium>1004mg | Potassium>741mg | Fiber>9g | Sugar>16g | Vitamin A>41421IU | Vitamin C>13mg | Calcium>106mg | Iron>3mg

COURSE:

Side Dish

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Snack

CUISINE:

New Zealand

KEYWORD:

Baby Carrots

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Balsamic Vinegar

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Vinaigrette

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