Roasted Summer Vegetables

As many of you know, my kids (and husband) aren’t big fans of most vegetables. I often try new ways to prepare veggies in an attempt to find ones they’ll enjoy. My attempt last week was a pan of these colorful, delicious Roasted Summer Vegetables.

Ingredients

• 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), chopped
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
• 6 oz. baby carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Several dashes of salt and pepper
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread on the baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly roasted. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts. Yield: 8 servings.

Notes

My favorite thing about this dish is that it is so colorful! There were so many bright colors on the baking sheet. This seems trivial, but it really matters when trying to get kids to try new foods. For many kids, colorful foods in distinct shapes look more interesting and flavorful than monochromatic blobs of food (I tend to agree). I wish I could say that these veggies transformed my husband and kids into veggie lovers, but they didn’t. They were good, but not that good! However, the three adults at the table who enjoy veggies absolutely loved these. Roasting them really brought out their flavor. The parmesan cheese was a perfect complement to this.

Another great thing about this dish is that other than chopping the veggies, it takes very little work to prepare. It’s totally realistic to plan to prepare this on a busy weeknight! Feel free to add additional veggies (potatoes, grape tomatoes, etc.) and season according to your taste preferences.

What vegetables have you been enjoying lately? How have you been preparing them?

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, What’s for Dinner? Link Up and Weekend Potluck.