Roasted Maple Parmesan Carrots

The major lesson I’ve learned since beginning to cook: simple recipes are the best recipes. Yes, it’s totally fun to spend a few hours in the kitchen on a Saturday whipping up a four-course meal, but, if we’re being honest here, ain’t nobody got time for that on a Tuesday night after a 10-hour workday. So, simple takes precedence. Because of this, I am always trying to challenge myself to create simple, nutritious, and delicious recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter how busy their day may be.

Now, I’ve talked about my opinion on vegetables on the blog before, but it bears repeating. Raw vegetables are boring and, for me personally, are so difficult and uncomfortable to digest. My favorite way to pull out flavors and make veggies palatable is to roast ’em up with all the spices and all the garnishes. Plus, in our house, it can be tough to get enough vegetables in (I’m looking at you, Ryan. Rowsdower eats plenty of veggies.) so, if I can enhance the flavor in any way, shape, or form, to make sure “someone” eats more vegetables, I will! If you have a picky or troublesome eater at home, I promise they will love this recipe!

Never did I ever think that carrots would become one of my favorite foods but, when ya add some maple syrup and cheese to the top, they are SO GOOD. The maple syrup intensifies the natural sweetness of the carrots and the Parmesan is, well… it’s cheese. And cheese is good on all of the things.

Diets This Recipe Is Compliant With

This recipe is low-carb (maple-flavored syrup), gluten-free, refined-sugar free, low-FODMAP (maple syrup), and vegetarian!

Prep time: 5-10 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients

Avocado oil cooking spray
1 lb carrots
1 tbsp maple-flavored syrup or maple syrup
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with avocado oil cooking spray.
3. Place washed and peeled carrots on baking sheet.
4. Coat carrots in avocado oil cooking spray.
5. With a pastry brush, brush maple syrup over both sides of carrots.
6. Sprinkle parmesan cheese, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
7. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan.
9. Serve immediately.