Need To Eat More Veggies? 11 Delish Ways To Bake Your Vegetables In The Oven

I am a huge fan of baking vegetables in an oven. You can take pretty much any vegetable and more or less follow these three steps: 1. cut up the vegetables 2. dress up vegetable slices with some olive oil, seasoning, bread crumbs, and / or cheese; 3. Place on baking sheet and stick it in a pre-heated oven for 15-40 minutes.

What happens is that the vegetables soak up the seasoning and take on a succulent, rich flavor that only comes from being oven-baked. Soft vegetables like eggplants, zuchinni and mushroom taste jucier and meatier. Crisp vegetables like carrots and onion yield more to your bite while still retaining some of its original crunch.

Baked vegetables are also so ridiculously easy to make they make for delicious alternatives to potato chips, popcorn and other processed snacks anytime you are craving something slightly salty and crunchy. Oven-baked sweet potato fries, cauliflower poppers and carrot fries are some of the baked veggie goodies that make for a great mid-afternoon snack or as a side dish to a sandwich or burger. 

If you are a parent, here is another good reason to make baked veggies: if the anecdotes coming from user comments to these online recipes are true, your vegaphobic kid (or the vegaphobic kid in you) just might come around to eating them and actually demanding more.

1. Onions. Craviing some good ol’-fashioned onion rings? Instead of deep-frying your homemade onion rings in hot oil, you can bake them for a healthier and equally delicious alternative. Check out Simply The Best Baked Onion Rings Recipe on RecipeZaar.com.

2. Eggplant. Though tasting quite bland when raw, eggplants are transformed into a juicy delight when baked in its own skin with proper seasoning, oil, and if you like, bread crumbs. I can personally vouch for this recipe being quite possibly the best baked eggplant I’ve ever made on my own. Check out Eggplant Pomodoro Recipe on VegWeb.com.

3. Avocado. Though avocados taste fantastic on their own, baking them in their own skin with some cheese, mayo and mashed-in crabmeat or other shell fish makes for an elegant, simple and utterly delicious appetizer. If you are only cooking for yourself or for two, you can easily make it in your toaster oven, too.  Check out stuffed avoado with seafood recipe on AvocadoCentral.com.

4. Portobello Mushroom. No wonder vegetarians love portobellos so much. These huge mushrooms are perfect for soaking up marinade sauces, and also for stuffing for your next vegetarian feast. Check out Stuffed Mushroom Recipe on iFood.tv. 

5. Cauliflower. I was skeptical when I first came across a recipe for baked cauliflower chunks listed in a health article as an alternative to popcorn. Though I am still keen to disgustingly oily popcorn at the movies, I do love cauliflower poppers as a healthy and tasty afternoon munchie when I have a surplus of cauliflower in the vegetable drawer. Check out Cauliflower Poppers recipe on Vegweb.com.

6. Carrots. Don’t know what to do with all those extra carrots chilling in your fridge? Making baked carrot fries is the perfect time-saving solution for anybody who’s had trouble finishing an entire bag of uncooked carrots before they go bad. Extra plus: a great way to get your kids to eat those dreaded carrots. Check out Baked Carrot Fries recipe on Grouprecipes.com. 

7. Tomatoes. Add some seasoning and oil, bake in the oven, and you have an easy-peasy side dish for your next dinner. Check out Baked Tomatoes with Oregano Recipe on AllRecipes.com. 

8. Zuchinni. Like many other vegetables listed here, zuchinni transforms into a juicy, tender and mouth-watering treat when baked in the oven. Cut them into slices and bake for some easy appetizers or a mid-afternoon snack. Check out Baked Zucchini Chips recipe on Recipezaar.com.

9. Kale. The ultimate easy snack for getting your daily intake of leafy green vegetables. Check out Kale Chips recipe on VegWeb.com. 

10. Sweet potatos. Isn’t it annoying how sweet potato fries are always more expensive than regular fries at restaurants? Ditch the local quirky diner and enjoy it on your own for cheap with the following sweet potato fry recipe that will knock your friends’ socks off. I highly recommend eating with a side of ranch dressing, Dijon mustard, or Vegannaise.  Check out Sweet Potato fries recipe on AllRecipes.com.

11. Broccoli. I’m not the biggest fan of broccoli. But if they are baked, I will eat a whole bag of them. It might happen to your kid, too. Check out Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

PHOTO (cc): Flickr / seandrellinger