recipe

Rosemary roast vegetables for a Sunday tray

By Ancient Nutra Wellness Team

Baking tray of roasted pumpkin, carrot, red onion and garlic with dried rosemary on a wooden kitchen table

By the Ancient Nutra Editorial Team

Key takeaways
  • One tray, seven ingredients and about 40 minutes in a 200°C oven gets you a Sunday side that cooks itself.
  • Dried rosemary leaves suit long, hot roasting because the woody needles hold their flavour where soft herbs scorch.
  • A single layer with space between the pieces is what browns the edges instead of steaming them.

Some cooking asks for your attention the whole way through. A Sunday tray does not. You chop, toss, slide it into the oven, and the kitchen fills with the smell of roasting pumpkin and herbs while you do something else. This version uses pumpkin, carrot and red onion, three vegetables that are easy to find in Sri Lanka all year, and one fragrant seasoning that does most of the work: dried rosemary.

Gather the ingredients

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)
  • 600 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes
  • 3 medium carrots (about 300 g), cut into thick batons
  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges through the root
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Ancient Nutra's Rosemary Leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves, left in their skins
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus black pepper if you like it

Roast it step by step

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and put a large, shallow baking tray inside to warm for 5 minutes.
  2. Rub the rosemary leaves between your palms over a large bowl. This breaks the dry needles slightly and wakes up the aroma.
  3. Add the pumpkin, carrots, onions and oil to the bowl, then the salt. Toss with your hands until every piece is lightly coated.
  4. Tip everything onto the hot tray and spread it into one layer. Tuck the garlic cloves in among the vegetables. If the pieces touch in a pile, use two trays.
  5. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the vegetables once at the 20 minute mark, until the edges are browned and a knife slides easily into the pumpkin.
  6. Rest the tray for 5 minutes. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins, mash it into the vegetables, and serve warm.

Yields four side portions. Best served straight from the oven, though the tray also reheats well in a hot pan.

Why this tray works

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a woody, resinous herb from the Mediterranean, and its leaves are built like small needles. That structure is why it behaves differently from soft herbs such as coriander or basil. Those wilt and turn bitter in a hot oven, while dried rosemary leaves ride out 40 minutes at 200°C and release their flavour into the oil, which then coats every cube of pumpkin.

The other trick is space. Vegetables release steam as they heat, and if they sit packed together that steam has nowhere to go, so they soften instead of caramelising. A preheated tray and a single layer give the surface sugars in the pumpkin and onion the dry heat they need to brown. Cutting the carrots into thick batons rather than coins keeps them from drying out before the pumpkin is ready.

A Sunday tray is the kind of cooking that rewards ten minutes of chopping with forty minutes of free time. Roast a little more than you need, and the leftovers become Monday's lunch.
Look for

Dried rosemary with green-grey, needle-like leaves and a strong pine-like smell when you rub a pinch. Pale, dusty leaves with little scent have usually been stored too long. Ancient Nutra's Rosemary Leaves come in a 20 g pack, and a closed jar away from heat and light keeps the aroma longer.

Try these variations

  • Swap the pumpkin for sweet potato or beetroot, and adjust the roasting time by a few minutes.
  • Scatter a handful of Ancient Nutra's Pumpkin Seeds over the tray for the last 5 minutes for a crunchy finish.
  • Finish with a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of thick yoghurt or coconut yoghurt on the side.
  • Make it a meal by tossing in a tin of drained chickpeas halfway through roasting.

Serve it through the week

Serve the tray warm beside grilled fish, roast chicken or a simple dhal. Cooled leftovers keep covered in the fridge and can go into a salad, a rice bowl or a flatbread wrap. For another easy, pan-friendly recipe, try the flax seed pol roti, and for more everyday spice ideas see five Sri Lankan kitchen spices and what each is used for. This is a plain, flavourful side dish, not a health remedy, and it does the job of making vegetables something you actually look forward to eating.

The bottom line

Chop, toss, spread and roast. If you only have two vegetables and no garlic, the method still works: dried rosemary, a good coating of oil and a single layer on a hot tray are the whole recipe.

Ancient Nutra Rosemary Leaves 20g

Rosemary Leaves 20g

Dried rosemary for roasts, potatoes, breads and soups.

Shop Rosemary Leaves

Written by the Ancient Nutra Wellness Team. Questions? Email info@ancientnutra.com or message Ancient Nutra on Instagram.

Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Ancient Nutra products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you take prescription medication or have a medical condition.

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