Roasting has a pretty transformative effect on vegetables – it really brings out the best in them, taste-wise and texture-wise. Without a question, it’s my favorite way to make and eat them. And if you’re ready to take your veggies to another level? Add BACON.
Here’s the thing. These roasted veggie and bacon bowls taste and look like a restaurant-quality item, but they don’t require much effort at all. They came together one day when I was going through my veggies and realized I needed to cook them up in the next couple days, or I was going to have to toss ’em (to be quite honest, this is how a lot of my recipes come to fruition. I HATE wasting food, and am a huge proponent of using everything in your fridge, scraps and all).
The process
Chopping the veggies is pretty much the only piece of this recipe that takes time. And if you’re totally starved for time, just buy pre-chopped. I don’t always recommend this because some pre-chopped veggies have added preservatives to keep them fresh. BUT…there are certainly times in your life when you need that extra 30 minutes back. And buying organic can help with that, too. For this particular time, I took a shortcut by using organic baby rainbow carrots and just chopped the broccoflower (yes, it’s real; no, it’s not a science experiment gone wrong) and bell peppers.
As you’ll see, I didn’t include measurements in this recipe. When it comes to roasting veggies, it’s pretty hard to screw up the level of seasoning because the oven really does ALL the magic. But as a general rule of thumb: you’ll want enough veggies to create a single layer on a big baking sheet, and enough oil to coat those veggies so the seasoning sticks. Simple, right?
Whether it’s a busy weeknight or a kick-back weekend, try these roasted veggie and bacon bowls out for a quick and tasty (and beautiful) meal. And please, please save me some leftovers.
Roasted Veggie and Bacon Bowls
Ingredients
- Fresh veggies of any kind for the bowl pictured here, I used broccoflower, baby rainbow carrots, and bell peppers
- Bacon ends and pieces I get this from my local grocery store if I want to use bacon in a dish, but don't want a whole pack of bacon. It's typically very cost-effective
- Olive oil
- Dried rosemary
- Dried onion
- Dried basil
- Salt and pepper
- Mixed greens or cooked white rice to use as the base for your bowl
- Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
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Line a baking sheet with foil
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Chop all veggies (and bacon if you have whole slices and not ends and pieces)
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Toss veggies and bacon on the sheet with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices, and salt & pepper (to taste). Get them good and coated!
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Roast veggies in the oven for 25-30 minutes
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Assemble bowls with your base of mixed greens (or rice, if you are ok with grains), followed by roasted veggie and bacon mixture
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Drizzle balsamic vinegar over bowls