These garlicky, fiber-packed and low carb roasted fall vegetables are the perfect healthy comfort food to support a fat loss goal. Plus, you can meal prep these veggies multiple days in advance for a quick and easy weeknight side dish that the whole family will love (including your toddler!).
Your new favorite fiber-packed, easy to meal prep weeknight side dish
Marinating veggies before roasting has been a healthy hack I’ve been using since 2016… and it’s something I discovered by accident.
One day, I prepped my veggies to roast later that evening, but ended up going out to dinner that night instead.
The next day I didn’t want to waste the ingredients I had prepped, so I threw the veggies that had now been marinating for over 24 hours into the oven and WOW. Just like how marinating meat helps to better infuse the flavors, the same thing happened to my veggies!
The garlic, the thyme, the crunch… it all was so much better after spending more time in the fridge. Even my toddler appreciates the garlicky veggie goodness and always asks for seconds.
Plus, if you’re on a weight loss or wellness journey, this side dish makes getting fiber-packed veggies into your diet super delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Loaded with fiber: Each serving comes packed with nearly 10 grams of fiber.
- Naturally low carb: Due to the high fiber content, these roasted fall veggies have only 17 grams net carbs per serving.
- Perfect for meal prep: Chop everything on Sunday then just pour it all onto a baking sheet and throw in the oven when you’re ready for dinner. Easy peasy.
- Supports a sustainable fat loss journey: Fiber is crucial for boosting satiety and preventing hunger, making sustainable weight loss much easier.
Key Ingredients
Broccoli and Cauliflower
These cruciferous veggies help to bump up the fiber and provide nutrients that support liver detox. Broccoli and cauliflower are both low glycemic veggies, making them an excellent (and tasty!) choice for a blood sugar stabilizing or fat loss goal.
Tip From The Nutritionist
Autumn Bates, CCN, MS, BS, CPT
Pro-tip: Don’t waste the broccoli stalks! Use a potato peeler to peel the hard outside, then dice up the inner stalks to roast with the rest of the broccoli. It’s like a soft broccoli “potato” bite! 🙂
Lots of Garlic!
Bring on the flavor! Garlic has a range of studied benefits from aiding in reduced blood pressure to acting as a natural anti-viral. But the best benefit? It makes your roasted veggies obsessively delicious.
Japanese Sweet Potato
Any sweet potato or yam will work for this recipe, but each will give you a slightly different texture or flavor. I prefer Japanese sweet potatoes, which are purple on the outside and white on the inside, because when they’re baked they get tinges of golden brown and the inside is deliciously creamy.
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, but they are also a source of starchy carbs. These carbs are useful and important for muscle recovery after a workout (as those following my Body Recomposition Meal Plan are well aware of!). We’re only using one medium sweet potato for four servings, which keeps the carbs and glycemic index pretty low. However if you’re carb sensitive or insulin resistant, you can swap out the sweet potato for 2 cups of Brussels sprouts or extra cauliflower.
Equipment Needed
- Baking sheet
Meal Prep!
This side dish is the perfect meal prep recipe. You can double or triple the ingredients to have enough veggies for fiber-packed weeknight dinners. Here’s how you do it:
- Toss all ingredients in a large bowl to ensure they’re evenly coated with garlic, thyme, salt and olive oil.
- Divide the veggie mixture into gallon sized plastic bags and store in the fridge. The longer the uncooked veggies stay in the fridge, the more infused with garlic and thyme they will be once cooked! You can usually keep marinated veggies in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- When you’re ready to eat, lay the veggies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Ingredient Swaps
- Low carb: Swap out the sweet potato for 2 cups of Brussels sprouts or extra cauliflower. This will reduce the net carbs by about 4 grams per serving.
- Other fall veggies: You can sub in your favorite fall veggies like butternut squash, delicata squash, brussels sprouts and carrots. Just make sure to cut them all into 1.5 inch cubes for squash and carrots or 2 inch chunks for brussels sprouts. I don’t recommend using leafy greens in this recipe.
Storing and Reheating
You can store leftover roasted veggies in the fridge, however it will quickly lose its crispness. If you prefer it crispy, eat them immediately.
Leftover roasted veggies are great eaten cold as a topping to a salad even if they are no longer crunchy. Store leftover roasted veggies in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
If you plan on reheating it, do so in a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil for a few minutes. I wouldn’t advise heating it up in the microwave, as the veggies will get squishy.
What to Pair This With
My marinated and roasted fall veggies are the perfect side dish to any meat, fish, chicken or egg-based dish. Especially if you’re looking to balance blood sugar levels, reduce cravings and work toward a fat loss goal, it’s important to pair one serving of this recipe with 4 to 6 ounces of your favorite protein.
Some of my favorites to pair this with include grilled chicken, burger (without a bun), pot roast and baked salmon.
This recipe also goes quite well with our Detox Egg Bake for a protein-packed and vegetarian meal.
FAQ’s
Most fall veggies work really well with this recipe! Look for hearty or cruciferous veggies, such as carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts and squash. Softer greens can be used with this to make “chips” (such as kale chips), but those are best cooked on a separate tray because they’ll require different cooking times.
Here are a few tips:
Make sure to evenly coat all of the veggies with oil.
Cooking the veggies at a higher temperature of 425 F helps to ensure the veggies get crisp and not soft and squishy.
Aim for evenly cut veggies to prevent some from getting burnt before others are fully roasted. Hearty veggies and roots, such as butternut squash and sweet potato, are best cut a little smaller – such as 1.5 inch cubes. Cruciferous veggies, such as brussels sprouts and broccoli, can be cut to about 2 inches in length.
Absolutely! These veggies are crunchy and flavorful, making it a great option for kiddos. My 2 year old loved it as leftovers for lunch!
Roasted Fall Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower chopped into 2 inch bites
- 1 head broccoli chopped into 2 inch bites
- 1 Japanese sweet potato peeled and cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- In a very large bowl add all of the ingredients and toss to combine. If you plan on cooking these immediately, skip to step 3. If you plan on meal prepping the veggies for later in the week, move on to step 2.
- Pour the veggie mixture into gallon sized plastic bags. You might need to use 2 or 3 bags, depending on how big your broccoli and cauliflower are. Make sure to mix the bag around so everything is evenly covered with the oil and seasonings. Pop the bags into the fridge until you're ready to cook them. You can keep the bags marinating for up to 7 days.
- When you’re ready to cook the veggies, preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dump all of the veggies on it, making sure the veggies are not overlapping. This helps to make them extra crispy. Roast for 30 minutes or until veggies look lightly browned and crispy. Add more salt before serving as needed.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe?
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