These easy Italian Roasted Vegetables are bursting with fresh flavour from tomatoes, courgette (zucchini) and aubergine (eggplant), and then all brought together with the Italian flavours from the olive oil, basil, oregano, thyme and garlic. A really simple side dish to go with any Italian main.
These Italian Roasted Vegetables are one of our favourite side dishes to make. Just a few of your favourite vegetables and then a really simple Italian dressing and then all roasted up to tender perfection in the oven. Serve them with grilled salmon or chicken for an easy and flavour packed meal.
If you are looking for some more Italian inspired recipes, then why not try our Italian Chicken, Italian Chopped Salad or Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes?
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Why you will love it
- A really easy and simple side dish - A side dish can really make or break a meal and this is simple, but delicious.
- Easy to adapt with whatever vegetables you have - This is a great fridge raid recipe, as it is easy to adapt with whatever vegetables you have. Roasting them really brings them back to life.
- Great for feeding a crowd and making a big batch - You can easily double or triple this recipe, and make it on a few different baking trays.
- Freezes well - Any leftovers can be stored in the freezer.
- Less than 300 calories per portion - This is a low in calories side dish, and nutrition too.
Ingredients needed
- Courgette (zucchini) - Choose ones that are no longer than 8 inches and are free of nicks. A really fresh courgette will have very tiny hairs on the skin
- Aubergine (eggplant) - Look for aubergines with smooth, shiny skin that are all the same colour and heavy for their size. To test for ripeness, lightly press a finger against the skin. If it leaves an imprint, the aubergine is ripe. Choose smaller aubergines, as they tend to be sweeter, less bitter, have thinner skin and less seeds.
- Cherry tomatoes - You can use larger tomatoes and chop them up if you prefer, but we like the sweetness of cherry tomatoes.
- Bell pepper - You can use any colour bell peppers, but we like red peppers as they are nice and sweet.
- Mushrooms - You can use any mushrooms, but a mixture like chestnut and shiitake add a nice texture.
- New potatoes - Small new potatoes are best, but you could chop up a larger potato if you prefer.
- Oil - Try to use the best quality olive oil you can.
- Oregano and basil
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Italian Roasted Vegetables - Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Cut the potatoes in half (or quarters, depending on their size) and place in a roasting tin. Chop all the vegetables into cubes of similar size and place them in the roasting tin in a single layer.
Two: Make the dressing by combining the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper.
Three: Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Make sure that the vegetables remain in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
Variations
The great thing about this recipe is that you can use almost any vegetable - it's a great fridge raid meal so there is now waste. We think this meal lends itself perfectly to root vegetables like carrots and potatoes along with some bell peppers, mushrooms, courgette, aubergine and tomatoes.
But you could add cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato or parsnips too. Leafy greens wouldn't work, but other than that the recipe is easy to adapt.
Italian marinade
This easy side dish is all about the delicious Italian marinade. A simple mixture of some Italian flavours that you probably already have in your cupboard, and you have yourself an easy and flavour packed marinade that just brings these vegetables to life.
Some excellent quality olive oil and lemon juice is mixed with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, thyme and basil and then poured over the vegetables and then mixed together before roasting. It doesn't get easier than that. This recipe is heavy on the garlic, like all recipes should be in our opinion, but feel free to use less.
You could take the Italian flavours one step further and grate some Parmesan (or a vegetarian hard cheese alternative) over them just before serving.
What to serve with Italian Roasted Vegetables
This is such a versatile side dish that you can serve it with anything. Because it has so much flavour we like to keep it simple and serve it with grilled chicken or salmon, or a big green salad. But if you aren't including potatoes in this dish, then these vegetables go really well with plain spaghetti.
Why not try them with our Honey and Lime Chicken, Caprese Chicken, Creamy Dill Salmon, Marinated Chicken Skewers, Chicken Kiev, or Lemon and Rosemary Salmon.
Storage
Store: Put into air-tight containers and these vegetables will keep fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: Put in to freezer containers and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Defrost: You can defrost these in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: They are delicious eaten cold, however if you want to reheat them then you can put them back in the oven for 10 minutes or sauté them in a pan for a couple of minutes. Microwaving is also an option, but they tend to go a bit soggy.
FAQs
The time needed to roast vegetables really depends on what vegetables you are using. If you are just using soft vegetables like pepper, onion, courgette, tomatoes and aubergine then they will only need about 30 minutes.
However, if you are using root vegetables like potato, carrot, parsnips or beetroot then they will take about 40-60 minutes. Which is why we roast the potatoes for 30 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. The bigger you chop your vegetables the longer they will take to cook. Speed up the cooking time by chopping your vegetables in to smaller pieces.
Vegetables that are popular in Italy include: tomatoes, celery, squash, fennel, mushrooms and peppers.
You need to make sure there is plenty of room on the baking tray for the vegetables to roast and get crispy. If they are too close together then they will steam rather than roast. Use two baking trays if needed.
If you fancy a change from an Italian seasoning, then why not try a Mexican or Cajun season blend to give these vegetables a bit of a kick. They would then go really well in tacos or burritos.
Yes, this is a vegan recipe.
More vegetable recipes
If you’ve tried these Italian Roasted Vegetables, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Italian Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 Courgette (zucchini)
- 1 Aubergine (eggplant)
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- 8 New potatoes
- 1 Bell peppers
- 8 Mushrooms
- 4 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dried oregano
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dried basil
- 6 Garlic clove
- 0.5 Lemon - juice only
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Cut the potatoes in half (or quarters, depending on their size) and place in a roasting tin.
- Chop all the vegetables into cubes of similar size and place them in the roasting tin in a single layer.
- Make the dressing by combining the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Make sure that the vegetables remain in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
Notes
- Try to use the best quality olive oil you can - you will really be able to taste the difference.
- Take the Italian flavours one step further and grate some parmesan (or a vegetarian hard cheese alternative) over them just before serving.
- Try to chop all your vegetables the same size so that they cook evenly.
- Make sure the vegetables are mixed well with the marinade. You want to make sure that all the vegetables are evenly coated.
- You can save some calories in this dish by using less oil, but we think they key to the delicious flavour is using a generous amount of oil.
- Roasted vegetables are always best cooked on a high heat.
- Make sure you use a large pan, so the vegetables aren't too crowded and close together. Make sure they are in a single layer as you want them to get nice and crispy. If you don't have a big enough pan, then use two.
- Speed up the cooking time by chopping your vegetables in to smaller pieces.
- Add a bit of freshness to the dish by sprinkling some chopped fresh parsley or basil on top before serving.
- Try not to turn the vegetables during cooking, as they will be crispier if they are just left.
Tracy
This looks great! Perfect for a dinner party when you want something that looks a bit nicer than a bowl of steamed vegetables.
Michelle
Hi Dannie
We are looking forward to this tonight , all prepped and ready to go into oven, just not sure how much lemon juice to use as not stated in recipe?
Dannii
Hello! Sorry - it's juice of half a lemon
Will
I would love a recipe for healthy onion rings. Thanks!
Fiona
Is it asking too much to ask for a healthy cheesy potato side?
Laura
Love your recipes! I am following you on Pinterest now.
Emily
Would a squeeze of lemon work well on this?
Bonnie
A recipe for a creamy potato dish would be great. My husband loves that kind of thing, but his doctor has told him that he needs to lose some weight, so he has had to cut it out. Would love to be able to find a way to still make it for him.
Maria
Looks lovely xx
Kim
I am going to make this tomorrow with some salmon and your hassleback potatoes (I am obsessed with them).
Ruth
Any kind of side dishes would be great. I am stuck in a rut of baked potatoes and salad with lemon juice at the moment. I could definitely use some inspiration in that department.
Amanda
I would love a recipe for healthy cauliflower cheese if you have it?
Gemma
This looks amazing. Thanks Dannii :)