Roasted root vegetables with herbs and ricotta salata

The simplicity of these roasted winter root vegetables allows their true flavours to shine – especially when finished with fresh herbs, lemon and ricotta salata.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 bunch baby beetroot, scrubbed, trimmed and halved if large
• 1 bunch baby (Dutch) carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and halved
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 8 wedges
• 3 small parsnips, scrubbed, trimmed and quartered
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 40 g ricotta salata (see Note) or sheep’s milk feta, crumbled or coarsely grated
• 1½ tbsp oregano leaves
• 1½ tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• lemon wedges or cheeks, to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced)

Toss the beetroot, carrots, fennel and parsnip with the oil to coat. Spread over the base of a roasting dish and bake for 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through baking, or until the beetroot is tender when pierced with a skewer.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with a little more oil. Combine the ricotta salata, oregano, parsley and lemon zest and scatter over the vegetables. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.

 

Note

• Ricotta salata is an Italian ricotta cheese that has been pressed, salted and aged for at least 90 days. It has a wonderfully salty flavour and firm texture which is perfect for crumbling, slicing or grating.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food Preparation by Tina McLeish.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Winter root vegetables.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.