Roasted Carrots and Leeks
Roasted Carrots and Leeks a super easy (and super flavorful!) sheet pan roasted vegetable recipe with only 5 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes.
Love roasted carrots? Love roasted leeks? Why not bake them together?!
The sweet flavor or roasted carrots combines perfectly with the zing of roasted leeks to create a umami-packed baked vegetable dish that is big on flavor with minimal ingredients.
If you’re still not sure about this combo, here’s why you should make it:
- It’s simple. Only five ingredients and 30 minutes roasting on a sheet pan. The definition of easy.
- It’s versatile. This recipe can be made as is, or dressed up with fresh garlic, herbs, and spices.
- It’s tasty. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring; this recipe pops with flavor from only a few key ingredients.
Ready to learn how to make this oven roasted leeks and carrots recipe? Let’s do it!
🥕 How to roast leeks and carrots together (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Preheat oven and prep vegetables
First, preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). While the oven is heating, wash the carrots and remove the stems. Cut the stems from the leeks and then remove the first 1-2 layers.
Cut the the carrots diagonally (see photo below for example) and slice the white part of the leeks, stopping just before you get to the greens (but save the leeks tops for food scrap vegetable broth!).
2️⃣ Step Two: Add vegetables to the roasting pan
Next, add the cut vegetables to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and, using your hands or a spatula, toss them until they’re completely coated with oil.
Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper, and any other spices or herbs (optional, but recommended; see herb and spice recommendations below).
3️⃣ Step Three: Roast until vegetables become soft and begin to brown
Finally, roast the carrots and leeks in the oven until they begin to soften and become brown around the edges. This takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven.
About halfway through cooking, toss the vegetables so they brown on all sides, we did this about every 10-15 minutes.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and serve immediately as a side dish, or you can let the vegetables cool and use them to top salads and bowls.
🌿 Herb + spice flavor ideas
This recipe is simply prepared with just olive oil, salt, and pepper. However, the herb and spice flavor possibilities are endless! Here are a few to try out in your roasted vegetable recipe:
- Rosemary, shallots, and garlic: roast cauliflower and carrots with sliced shallot and garlic, then sprinkle with fresh rosemary when finished
- Garlic, red onion, and fresh herbs: top roasted vegetables with garlic and sliced red onion, then top with fresh herbs like oregano
- Turmeric, paprika, and cayenne pepper: make it spicy with a sprinkle of turmeric powder, paprika, and a dash of cayenne
- Make it crunchy with nuts or seeds: add a bit of crunch by topping with sliced almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds
♻️ Sustainable kitchen + cooking tips
We’re all about sustainability here at Fork in the Road, so here are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your ingredients.
Take advantage of carrot and leek season! The best time to make recipes using both carrots and leeks is during the height of their growing season, which just so happens to be all year round here in California. To find out when they’re in season in your area, search Seasonal Food Guide’s seasonality calendar.
Use carrot and leeks stem scraps to reduce food waste! Don’t toss those stems after cutting — add them to a food scrap vegetable broth to flavor stocks for soups and stews. Leeks are an especially delicious scrap to add to broths as they are full of flavor and their hard ends are usually not used in other recipes.
Don’t throw away carrot greens! Did you buy carrots with their leaves? Great! Reuse carrot tops in sauces like chimichurri, as an added leafy green in soups, and even in smoothies.
👩🍳 More mixed roasted vegetable recipes
Check out our other easy roasted vegetables recipes with carrots:
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
- Baked Mixed Carrots and Cauliflower
- Roasted Carrots and Bell Peppers
- Roasted Carrots and Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Rainbow Cauliflower
- Garlic Roasted Carrots and Zucchini
- Simply Roasted Carrots with Broccoli
- Oven-Roasted Carrots and Turnips
- Baked Carrots and Parsnips
Roasted Carrots and Leeks Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound leeks about 1 large leek
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried or fresh herbs like basil, oregano, or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (200 C)
- Prep vegetables: Wash carrots and leeks and remove stems. Slice the white parts of leeks, stopping just before reaching the harder green parts. Cut carrots diagonally into pieces that are similar in size to the leeks(for easier eating).
- Roast vegetables: Arrange the vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to completely cover with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 35 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes to roast on all sides.
- Serve vegetables: Remove pan from oven, arrange vegetables on a plate and serve as a side dish or as a salad topping.
Notes
- Tools Needed: sheet pan, knife set, cutting board
- Prep Ahead: Wash and cut vegetables ahead of time to reduce prep time before cooking. If serving cold on salads or bowls, you can make this recipe up to three days ahead of time.
- Leftovers and Storage: Vegetables should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For best taste and texture, do not freeze and reheat.
- Nutrition notes: Nutrition information is estimated for only ingredients in the recipe, not the additional spice options given. This simple roasted carrots and leeks recipe is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. It uses only plant-based ingredients, making it vegan, and it gluten-free.