Roasted Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Salad

Crank the Heat, Boost the Flavor

It’s time to turn up the heat — on your vegetables!

Roasting does magical things to veggies. It brings out their natural sweetness, adds a little caramelized crispiness, and gives them a richer, deeper flavor than steaming or boiling ever could. Basically, roasting vegetables makes them taste like they’ve been upgraded to first class.

Some veggies are built for roasting. Sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and onion wedges all get sweeter and way more flavorful after some quality time in a hot oven. Even heartier veggies like carrots and cauliflower are totally transformed by roasting. 

The key to good roasted vegetables? High heat and plenty of space. Set your oven to around 400 to 425 degrees — hot enough to get those crispy edges without drying everything out. 

And don’t overcrowd the pan! If your veggies are all jammed together like commuters on a packed subway, they’ll steam instead of roast — and nobody wants that.

Toss your chopped veggies with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and pepper — simple, but perfect. Want to kick it up a notch? Add garlic, or smoked paprika, or rosemary and thyme before roasting—or top with a light drizzle of balsamic glaze when they come out of the oven.

And don’t stress about cutting everything into perfect cubes — just aim for pieces that are roughly the same size so they roast evenly. 

Roasted vegetables add warmth, flavor, color and texture to salads — they’re perfect with grains, greens, creamy tahini dressings, crumbles of feta or a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds. 

So next time your salad needs a little oomph, crank the heat and let your veggies roast for the most flavor!