We’veΒ listed the most common summer vegetables here along with instructions for how to roast them and their approximate cooking times. You can season these vegetables with salt and pepper alone, or use our suggested additions to fancy things up a little.
All of these veggies should be roasted on rimmed baking sheets. We like to coat them with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil from a mister too because sometimes vegetables have a tendency to stick even after being tossed in olive oil. Most additions can be added either before or after the vegetables are done roasting, although garlic is usually best when added before, while tapenades, basil, cilantro, parsley and marinara sauce are best added after.
Summer Squash (Zucchini, Crookneck Squash, etc.)
Start by: Trimming ends, cutting into thick slices and tossing with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook at: 400 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
Try adding: Pesto and pine nuts, fresh herbs, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomato tapenade.
Tomatoes
Start by: Cutting into 1-inch pieces and tossing with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook at: 375 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
Try adding: A few pinches of brown sugar, garlic, capers, kalamata olives, fresh herbs (especially basil), balsamic vinegar. You can puree tomatoes to make roasted tomato sauce too.
Green Beans
Start by: Trimming ends and tossing with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook at: 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.
Try adding: Truffle oil and walnuts, fresh herbs, lemon juice or zest, olive tapenade, caramelized onions, blanched almonds, slices of garlic.
Eggplant
Start by: Trimming ends, slicing 1/4 inch rounds, brushing them with olive oil, and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cook at: 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.
Try adding: Fresh herbs, marinara sauce, balsamic vinegar, chopped capers and lemon juice, olive or sun-dried tomato tapenade, Italian seasoning, pesto.
Corn
Start by: Shucking, removing silk, cutting kernels off cob with a knife and tossing with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Alternately, you can leave the husks on the corn and roast them whole.
Cook at: 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes for kernels, stirring halfway through cooking time; 450 degrees for 20 minutes for whole cobs.
Try adding: Caramelized shallots and thyme, lime juice or zest, chipotles in adobo sauce, fresh herbs, coconut milk and sriracha, jalapeno peppers.
Peppers
Start by: Removing top, slicing into 1/2 inch strips, and tossing with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cook at: Broil for 10-15 minutes or until skins are just beginning to char. Remove from oven and place strips in heavy-duty zip-top bag. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then remove skins.
Try adding: Balsamic vinegar (for sweet peppers), other roasted veggies. Roasted peppers are also great for topping burgers and sandwiches or adding to salads.
If you found this post helpful (and I hope you did!), be sure to check out ourΒ Guide to Roasting Fall Vegetables too.
47 Comments
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh
June 12, 2012 at 7:49 amI love roasting veggies! I leave the corn in the husk after having soaked them for about 20 minutes; it steams them and tastes so yummy! Sometimes I’ll season them prior, wrap ’em back up and wrap them in foil to steam in flavor.
Annnnnd now I want corn. π
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 9:03 amOkay, I’m going to have to try that!
Tastefully Julie
June 12, 2012 at 8:43 amI love this guide. Roasted veggies are my favorite. I have a cookbook called the Roasted Vegetable that you might like. Try fennel on the roasted zucchini some time, it’s great!
p.s. I’m at work π
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 9:02 amI totally need to get that book! And I’ve actually never had fennel. I really dislike fennel seeds & it’s made me scared to try it fresh…
TastefullyJulie
June 13, 2012 at 9:30 amOhhhh. I meant fennel seed. Don’t try it, then! π
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:47 pmHa! Yeah, something about those seeds–maybe the licorice notes? (Although I like licorice…)
Jennifer
June 12, 2012 at 9:55 amthis is a great guide. I always burn my veggies π
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 9:01 amWell, as long as you stir them and check on them as the cooking time starts coming to an end, you should be good with any of these recipes. π
Crystal
June 12, 2012 at 10:12 amLove this, thank you! Roasting my vegetables is about the only way I’ll eat my vegetables.
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:59 amHa! Well, I’ll eat them just about any way they’re prepared, but roasting is definitely the best way. π
Cat Davis - Food Family Finds
June 12, 2012 at 11:09 amWow, I love all of these ideas. These days I find myself eating vegetables more than anything else well … besides pasta and bread (ha) but seriously, I’ve been needing some ideas.
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:59 amOne of my favorite easy meals is roasted veggies over pasta! You can load on so many vegetables that you can cut back on the pasta and not miss it.
Matt @ FaveHealthyRecipes
June 12, 2012 at 6:34 pmThe only thing missing from this list is how to tolerate your hot kitchen while roasting said vegetables! LOL
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:56 amHa! I was waiting for someone to say that! But I’ve actually never had that problem. Now, cooking on the stove during summer, that’s another story. Putting something in the oven & leaving it to its own devices for 30 minutes is one thing, but standing over a hot skillet or Dutch oven–no thanks!
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June 12, 2012 at 9:50 pmi love this post! roasted veggies with all that smokyness and some fresh dressing.. summer Yumm!
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:54 amThank you! Roasting (or grilling) is definitely the best way to bring out the flavors of summer vegetables!
Jackie @ Domestic Fits
June 12, 2012 at 9:55 pmI love this. I could eat roasted vegetables every day of my life.
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:52 amI think I almost do. π We make roasted veggies as a side at least a few times a week…
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June 12, 2012 at 11:54 pmOh this is awesome. I have gotten to where I either roast or grill almost all of our veggies!!
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:51 amMe too. It just tastes so much better than any other way of cooking them.
Brenda Williams
June 12, 2012 at 11:57 pmGreat guide. I love roasted veggies. Sometimes I get lazy and steam them in the microwave when it is hot weather.
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:51 amI know this sounds silly, but I can never steam things right in the microwave. It always ends up nearly raw or completely over-cooked! I need to try those steamer bags or something.
Courtney Rae Jones
June 13, 2012 at 12:05 amGreat guide! Looking forward to trying to roast corn. I’ve not yet tried that. π
Kiersten
June 13, 2012 at 8:48 amIt’s really good! That dish in the picture with the caramelized shallots & thyme is one of my favorites. My husband, who isn’t even crazy about corn, loves it!
ATasteOfMadness
June 13, 2012 at 12:07 pmWow. You know I’ve never roasted vegetables before. I think I need to start. And now I know how, thank you!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:46 pmYes, you certainly do need to start! π You won’t want to cook them any other way once you do.
gem
June 13, 2012 at 1:07 pmThank you for this! I’m so clueless when it comes to roasting veggies =)
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:45 pmIt’s really much easier than people think–I promise!
Talia @ Bite Size Wellness
June 13, 2012 at 2:49 pmThank you! I recently stumbled upon your blog and I am ecstatic about it!
This guide is fantastic. I recently moved to NYC and have been missing having a grill, but I am happy to just roast everything with the help of this!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:45 pmThank you for stopping by–I’m glad you found my blog! π We have one of those little grills, but most of the time I’m too lazy to set it up and use it. Roasting is way easier. π
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell
June 13, 2012 at 4:48 pmFirst thing on the list is roasted corn!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:43 pmYou will love it! π
BusyWorkingMama
June 13, 2012 at 9:21 pmYuminess!!
Natalie
June 13, 2012 at 10:57 pmThis has me so excited for summer veggies! I normally only see guides to grilling around this time of year, but for people without a barbeque like me, this is much more helpful!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:43 pmI love grilled vegetables, but it always seems like such a pain to break out the grill for them. I’m much more likely to roast them!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom
June 13, 2012 at 11:50 pmThank you for this! I’ve never had asparagus as good as when I tried your recipe for roasting them so I can only imagine that all of the other veggies you have listed are going to taste even better when cooking them this way!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:42 pmAw, thank you! Just about any veggie can be roasted and it’s hard to go wrong with them–they always taste good. π
Carolyn Jung
June 14, 2012 at 12:06 amAlso, don’t crowd your pan or else your veggies will steam too much and lose their crisp, caramelized quality.
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:40 pmThis is true! Thanks for the tip. π
Virginia from That Bald Chick
June 14, 2012 at 4:06 pmWe had grilled and roasted veggies for dinner last night. Oh my yum!
Kiersten
June 14, 2012 at 6:35 pmThey are so good, aren’t they? π
Shell Fruscione
June 17, 2012 at 4:17 amThis is completely awesome. I’ve been wanting to roast more veggies but didn’t really know where to start so this rocks, thanks!! π
Kiersten
June 17, 2012 at 8:10 pmI hope it helps! π
Katie
June 17, 2012 at 4:45 pmgreat guide! One of my favorite things about summer is roasted veggies!
Kiersten
June 17, 2012 at 8:05 pmThank you! I think just about any veggie is better roasted. π
Kat
July 28, 2014 at 3:33 pmI never thought of trying to roast green beans, though I’ve roasted just about every other vegetable out there. Silly me..I can’t wait to try that!
Kiersten Frase
July 28, 2014 at 3:47 pmYou will never want to eat them any other way again. π