Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta

Roasted Carrots Perfection

The key to achieve perfectly roasted carrots is even cooking, caramelization and avoiding over-cooking. Here are some helpful tips:

• Cut Consistency: Aim for similar-sized carrot pieces for uniform roasting.
• High Heat: Roast them in the oven at a high temperature (around 400-425°F). This is hot enough to brown them and cook them through in a short window of time so they get those delicious caramelized edges without overcooking.
• Space Them Out: Don't overcrowd the baking sheet. Giving the carrots space prevents steaming and promotes even browning and crisp edges. Use a large baking sheet or roast the carrots in batches if necessary.
• Check them early: Nobody likes mushy carrots so check them for doneness early. You'll know your carrots are perfectly roasted when they're tender-crisp and have caramelized, golden-brown edges. Keep in mind, carrots will continue to cook from the heat of the roasting pan even after you take them out of the oven.

How to Make These Roasted Carrots

This dish may look and taste gourmet but each element is simple, with some make-ahead options too. Here's what you need:

Ingredients:

• Carrots - Rainbow carrots are extra gorgeous but any carrots will be great - the fresher the better.
• Cumin & turmeric - to season the carrots
• Feta cheese - any kind of feta sold in a block, with a slight preference for sheep or goat feta which tends to be creamier and tangier than cow's milk feta. My favorite brand of feta (though a bit pricey) is Valbreso.
• Lemon juice - to flavor the whipped feta
• Breadcrumbs - panko or homemade
• Parsley - fresh flavor and a splash of green for the breadcrumbs
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Make the Whipped Feta

Break or cut the feta into pieces and whizz it in the food processor with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, until creamy.

Make-ahead: Whipped feta can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Roast The Carrots

Cut the carrots into uniform sticks and toss with olive oil, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper.

Arrange the carrots in a single layer in a sheet pan or two, making sure to space them apart for maximum browning. (Don't overcrowd them as I did in the photo below!).

Roast them in a hot oven, preheated to 425ºF/220ºC, until they are just tender and starting to caramelize on the bottom.

Put it all together

Arrange the carrots on a platter in two rows, leaving space in between for the whipped feta. Spread the feta down the center of the platter and sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top. Decorate around the edges with sprigs of parsley.

If you try this roasted carrots recipe, please come back to leave a star rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Lisa Goldfinger
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 50 mins 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

These Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta are stunning as a side dish to complement a  holiday roast and they also make a fantastic vegetarian appetizer for potlucks, game days, or elegant dinner parties.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For The Breadcrumbs:

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko (note 1)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley plus a few sprigs set aside as a garnish

For The Whipped Feta:

• 12 ounces of feta from a block (not crumbles), broken into pieces (note 2)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For The Roasted Carrots:

• 2 pounds rainbow carrots, peeled (or orange carrots)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

Equipment: sheet pan, food processor fitted with the chopping blade

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC and arrange an oven rack in the center position.
2. To toast the breadcrumbs, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast, tossing and stirring frequently until crispy and golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool for 10-15 minutes, then toss with parsley.
3. Add whipped feta ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until creamy. Adjust the flavor and texture with more lemon juice or oil, if needed.
4. To prepare the carrots trim off the ends and slice the carrots in half through the middle, separating the thicker top portion from the thinner bottom. Slice the thick pieces into quarters lengthwise (in half lengthwise and then half again lengthwise). Slice the thinner parts in half lengthwise. The idea is to get carrot sticks that are about equal in thickness so they cook evenly.
5. Add carrots, oil and spices to a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly. Arrange carrots on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer and roast for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown on the bottom and crisp-tender, checking for doneness after 15 minutes.(note 3)
6. To serve, arrange the carrots on a large platter in two rows leaving space between the rows for the feta.  Spoon the whipped feta in the center of your platter and sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top. Decorate the edges of platter with reserved parsley sprigs. Serve carrots with small appetizer plates and forks or simply let people grab and dip. 

Notes

1. Homemade breadcrumbs: You can make your own homemade breadcrumbs by pulsing slightly stale dry bread in a food processor. Cut it into cubes first and then pulse until you have fine crumbs. Or if you only have fresh bread, cut it into cubes, spread it out on a sheet pan and lightly toast it in the oven at 250ºF  to dry it out, and then pulse it into crumbs in the food processor.
2. Selecting Feta: For best results use the type of feta sold in blocks (not crumbles). Blocks of feta have fewer additives and tend to be higher quality than crumbled feta. I have a slight preference for sheep and goat feta which tends to be creamier and tangier than cow's milk feta.
3. Perfectly Roasted Carrots: Nobody likes mushy carrots so check them for doneness early. Keep in mind that roasting times can vary depending on oven temperature and carrot sizes.
4. Gluten Free: To make this dish gluten-free either use gluten-free breadcrumbs or skip the breadcrumbs all together and top the whipped feta with chopped parsley or chopped toasted almonds or pecans.
5. Make Ahead Strategies: Toasted breadcrumbs can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.Bring to room temperature before using and re-crisp, if necessary, by tossing in a hot pan for a minute or two. Whipped feta can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using. Whipped feta tends to  thicken as it sets. You can loosen it up by re-whisking it with a fork until creamy.
6. Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: appetizer, side dish
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: NA