Italian Oven Roasted Vegetables Recipe (w/ Video)| The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

There's a reason these Italian oven roasted vegetables are so popular--Delicious, roasted to tender perfection, and bold with Italian flavors from fresh garlic, oregano, thyme and extra virgin olive oil! I make these easy roasted vegetables almost weekly as a side to some of my favorite chicken and fish dishes. But they also make a great vegetarian main on top of rice or even quinoa. And for vegans, simply omit the Parmesan cheese.

Be sure to grab my tips and watch the video for how to make this roasted vegetables recipe.

When we think roasted vegetables, our minds typically go to root veggies like carrots, potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, or hefty roasted cauliflower and broccoli.

But, if you take just about any variety of firm vegetables, cut them up, toss them in some seasoning and excellent olive oil, then roast them in a high-heated oven, they will turn irresistibly tasty.

When you roast vegetables, their natural flavors deepen beautifully, and they gain enough char and great texture. A few minutes in the oven turns them soft, warm, comforting, and just the most delicious side dish.

The possibilities are endless as far as which veggies to roast and what flavors to use. But, one of my go-tos is this Italian oven-roasted vegetables recipe.

Ingredients for roasted vegetables

In this Italian-inspired roasted vegetables recipe, I use a combination of bright, and colorful veggies and mushrooms, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and a simple seasoning with some of my favorite Italian flavors. Here's what you'll need:

• Vegetables & Mushrooms: zucchini (or summer squash), bella mushrooms, and baby potatoes (or diced gold potatoes)
• Tomatoes: I like Camparie tomatoes here because they tend to be on the sweeter side. Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes are great too!
• Seasoning: Kosher salt, fresh garlic, oregano and fresh thyme.
• Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Should you salt your vegetables before roasting?

YES! At least in my experience, I've found that salting veggies before roasting them ensures good flavor but it also affects the texture. This may sound counter-intiutive, but if you try roasting veggies unsalted, they'll come out too dehydrated and unpleasant. Salt draws a bit of moisture out of your veggies while they cook in the oven, this helps them nicely caramalize but without drying out.

What temprature is best for roasting vegetables?

High heat is the name of the game! For your veggies to gain that delicious caramelized exterior, while cooking to tender perfection, the sweet spot is somewhere between 410 and 450 degrees F.

In this roasted vegetables recipe, I set the oven temprature at 425 degrees F and I cooked the veggies on the middle rack.

Which oil is good for roasting vegetables?

For me, when it comes to roasting veggies or anything at all, I am all for using quality, good-tasting extra virgin olive oil which imparts great flavor while properly cooking your veggies. Remember that a quality extra virgin olive oil's smoke point can be around 410 to 425 degrees F. I've not had any trouble using EVOO, but if you want to save it for your Greek salad or are looking for an alternative, reach for a good grapeseed oil.

7 Tips for how to roast vegetables in the oven

This roasted vegetables recipe is simple, but if you're looking for exceptional results, I have a few tips for you:

1. Set the oven on high heat. We chatted about this earlier but it bears repeating, if you want the best roasted veggies set the oven anywhere between 400 to 450 degrees F, depending on what vegetables you're working with. Here I went for 425 degrees F and roasted the veggies on the middle rack. Because potatoes take a bit more time, they went in first for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables.
   
2. Cut the vegetables into similar size pieces. This will help everything cook evenly and at the same time (but see my note on potatoes below).
   
3. Flavor the Vegetables well. One important thing is to make sure the vegetables are evenly seasoned. To do that, place the already cut vegetables in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and other spices of your choice (I used oregano and thyme). I also love adding fresh garlic, and the garlic roasts, it will mellow and add sweetness. Give everything a good toss with the help of a little extra virgin olive oil.
   
4. Don't Skimp on the olive oil! Toss your veggies with a good-tasting extra virgin oil. Use enough of the oil to coat the vegetables well and give them a glossy look, but don't use too much that you end up with excess oil in the bottom of your bowl. I would say somewhere around 2 tablespoons. Toss to make sure everything is well combined and the vegetables are well-coated with the seasoning. When ready, transfer the vegetables to your baking pan or baking sheet.
   
5. Use a heavy, drak baking pan or baking dish for roasting. The dark coating helps the veggies brown well. I often use a cast iron baking dish (affiliate link), the added benefit of cast iron is that it provides even, steady heat.
   
6. Roast in stages if you need to (potatoes need more time than zucchini). Because potatoes will take a bit longer than things like zucchini and tomatoes in this roasted vegetables recipe, I went ahead and put the baby potatoes in the oven for a good 10 minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables.
   
7. Do not crowd the pan. For best texture and flavor, make sure your veggies are well-spread in one single layer on your baking pan or dish. If you need to, use two pans. Crowding the veggies will result in steaming them rather than roasting.

What to serve roasted vegetables with?

These Italian-style roasted veggies are the perfect side dish next to almost any meaty dish. I often serve them next to my Italian baked chicken, Garlic Dijon Chicken, or even next to Boneless Lamb, Roast Turkey Breast, or even Slow Roasted Salmon.

But don't discount these gorgeous vegetables as a light vegetarian main with farro risotto, or on top of lemon rice or even quinoa!

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Used in this recipe

• Cast Iron Baking Dish (affiliate link)
• Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil

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*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in February, 2017 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers' benefit. Enjoy!