Maple Mustard Roasted Carrots

We are in the final countdown before Thanksgiving and maybe you’re still figuring out your side dishes! These maple mustard roasted carrots are the perfect easy side dish. A simple marinade of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper give naturally sweet carrots so much flavor. Roasting them with pancetta gives a bit of saltiness and adding pine nuts for the final minutes of roasting will give you the perfect crunch. Once they’re out of the oven, add pomegranate arils for a final touch of sweetness and you have a perfect side dish for the holidays or anytime of year.

I love using rainbow carrots for this recipe because they are just so pretty! I peel the carrots but leave them whole for roasting and serving. For leftovers I like to slice the carrots on a diagonal and add them to salads or make a grain bowl with quinoa or couscous and a few handfuls of arugula. This maple mustard dressing is delicious for these roasted carrots, but it would also be excellent on other root vegetables. Cubed butternut squash, delicata squash, sweet potatoes, or any of your other favorite root vegetables would get a punch of flavor being roasted like this and be a huge hit at any meal, holiday or otherwise.

I love to have some vegetable-forward side dishes to balance out the richer, carb-heavy ones to give me a balanced (but full!) plate. Since carrots are accessible year-round and not one of those vegetables that are harder to get certain times of year, these maple mustard roasted carrots are an easy side dish that you can enjoy all year long!

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