Anyone still trying to add more vegetables to their meals in the month of January?? These roasted winter vegetables are the perfect solution!

One thing I have come to love about plant-based eating is the wide variety of vegetables we, as humans, can eat. Before eating plant-based, I maybe ate 10 different types of plants a week…maybe.

Now, I strive to eat more than 40 different types of plants a week — and y’all, it really isn’t that hard!

Seasonal winter vegetables

While eating all these plants, I also try to eat seasonally. What plants could possibly be seasonal in the winter when you don’t live in a tropical climate, you ask?

I know that’s hard to imagine, but look at all these veggies that are in season in the colder months:

Leeks
Kale
Sweet Potatoes
Brussel Sprouts
Beets
Broccoli
Butternut Squash
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard Greens
Onions
Parsnips
Rutabaga
Shallots
Turnips
Artichoke
Cauliflower
Arugula
Bok Choy
Kohlrabi
Spinach

You may be saying, “cool, but what’s the point to eating in-season when I have access to a grocery store where I can buy whatever produce I want, when I want?”

Well, let me tell you. Eating seasonally:

Saves you money. When items are in season, they typically drop in price at the grocery store because of basic supply and demand. They may even go on sale, so if you can’t always remember what’s in season, just look at the sales.
Tastes better. Fruits and veggies that are picked when they’re in season have more flavor because they’re picked when they’re actually ripe. Typically vegetables picked out-of-season have been prematurely picked and preserved for your local grocery store, which means wayyyy less flavor and goodness.
Provides more nutrition. Similar to the above point, when produce is picked in season, it allows them to grow to their nutritional potential instead of growing until the store needs them.
Potentially supports local businesses. This one is a bit more complicated, but if you are able to eat seasonally AND buy from a local farmer, then you are obviously supporting that farmer and their livelihood. Here in Cincinnati, there aren’t a lot of options for local winter produce, but in the summer I try to buy most of my produce from one of the local farms. I go practically every weekend to the farmer’s market and buy from the same farmer. It’s one of my absolute favorite things about summer — and if you find a local farm, I highly encourage you to buy from them. The produce from a farmer’s market is SO much better than produce bought in a store!

About this recipe

Okay so now that you know a little about eating seasonally, let’s talk about this roasted winter vegetables recipe!

The thing I love the most about roasted vegetables is that they are simple, quick, and customizable. I chose these specific vegetables because they’re in season right now and I like these flavors together (obviously).

You could easily customize this recipe, though. For instance, you could leave out the parsnips or add beets.

I use olive oil whenever I roast vegetables, but if you are oil-free, you can substitute water or another liquid sauce (balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, etc). I haven’t tried this, so I’m not sure what the ratio would be of other sauces to roasted vegetables. Try at your own risk!

Keep in mind I do add crushed red pepper flakes to these roasted vegetables, so they have a slight kick. As I say with all my recipes, if you don’t like spice, reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes.

This dish goes great with all of your favorite winter main courses, such as butternut squash soup or vegan chili. If you try this recipe, rate/comment on this post and tag us on Instagram @plumsavory!

Cheers,
Elana