Some super nerdy nutrition peeps might say they prefer not to use olive oil when roasting veggies under this amount of heat because the temperature and heat duration might lead the single (mono-) double bond (-unsaturated) part of this oil to oxidize (form free radicals), which you don’t want if you want a nice uninflammed healthy body.
You can try to roast things in the oven without oil and then add the oil as soon as it’s out of the oven. If you like roasting that way, you’re lucky. I personally don’t like roasting without oil because the veggies become limp and blah. One alternative is to use a saturated fat (don’t freak out) like coconut oil or avocado oil, and if you like the flavor of these options, then woo-hoo. If you’re like me and only roast veggies a couple times a week, then I think you’ll be just fine using olive oil and enjoying the deliciousness of roasted veggies.
INGREDIENTS
Choose from the kind of veggies that are ideal for roasting, such as:
- carrots
- cauliflower
- brussel sprouts
- broccoli
- zucchini
- red onions
- any kind of squash
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- You can do just one type of veggie or pick any combination you like.
- Roughly cut up veggies into bite-sized chunks, spread evenly on sheet.
- Lightly coat with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with salt + pepper (and any herbs you might like).
- Bake around 30 min or until crispy or however you like your veggies.
