Even though Spring has officially “arrived”, we are (of course) still in the middle of our rainy season here in Seattle, and so we’re still taking comfort in a delicious pan of roasted veggies now and then! This week it’s black pepper roasted carrots with savory cilantro yogurt and toasted almonds.
All the yummm!!
And really, as long as it’s not too hot to turn on the oven, I feel like roasted veggies always have a place in the kitchen, no matter what the season is.
There’s just something so amazing about the caramelized sweetness and intensity of flavor that you get when you roast vegetables.
It really adds a level of complexity and focus that keeps you coming back for another bite!
And carrots are probably one of my all time favorites to roast, if you can’t tell from my recipes 😉
I decided to season this batch with looots of black pepper, a little bit of paprika, and pair it with some really bright + savory cilantro yogurt sauce – which, it turns out is a super delicious match!
If you wanted to take it up a notch you could even add a dash or two of cayenne pepper OR ancho chili powder to the carrots as well. I think that smokey flavor would be spot on when paired with the cooling yogurt sauce!
And of course there’s some roasted almonds for the crunch factor! Always gotta think about that crunch factor.
The dish comes together pretty easily – just how we like it. Tasty food in less time is always a good thing.
You’ll start by toasting your almonds (if you buy raw almonds instead of already roasted – which I tend to prefer anyway so they don’t lose their bite), and while they roast you can prepare the carrots by breaking off the greens and giving them a good little scrub, especially up by the top where the green meets the carrot. I like leaving that part on but there always seems to be some gunk hanging out in there.
Once the almonds are done the carrots go into the oven all coated in oil, and coated with black pepper to roast to perfection. And while the carrots are roasting you can throw together the yogurt sauce!
See I told you it was gonna be easy 🙂
This recipe could EASILY be made dairy free by substituting with a dairy free yogurt or cashew cream for the yogurt sauce. A thick version of this easy tahini sauce would be another excellent option!
And team sauce over here got a little off track 🙋🏻 – but you get the idea with where my mind is wandering!
I did a crazy little thing after I finished shooting this recipe and fried an egg to eat on top some of the carrots for a quick lunch. It turned out so yummy I decided to sneak in a couple shots of that too in case this sounds good to you, too! Fried egg on anything pretty much passes as a complete meal in my book 😎
I know you guys agree with me.
Now let’s rock this week with some super easy black pepper roasted carrots cuz you guys deserve that GOOD food.
Sounds like a pretty good way to have an awesome week, right?!
did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! when you rate my recipes and leave feedback it helps me continue to improve. you can leave me a comment below, or snap a picture and post it to instagram with the tag @nyssaskitchen or hashtag #nyssaskitchen! xo
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black pepper roasted carrots with savory cilantro yogurt and roasted almonds {gluten free + dairy free option}
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Black pepper roasted carrots with savory cilantro yogurt and roasted almonds are super easy and flavor packed to the max! The carrots are seasoned with black pepper, a little bit of paprika, and paired with a bright + savory cilantro yogurt sauce – the perfect combo! Topped with some roasted almonds to add some texture and crunch for the win!
Ingredients
for carrots
- 2 bunches of carrots with greens attached
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil (or another high heat oil of choice – ghee, lard, and coconut are all good options)
for almonds and yogurt sauce
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup whole milk greek yogurt
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped + more for garnish
additional ingredients
- fried egg (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Put almonds on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes, until aromatic and starting to brown.
- While almonds are roasting, start prepping carrots.
- Break off green tops of carrots, and wash well, scrubbing away any dirt or nasty bits near the tops.
- Dry thoroughly, toss to coat with avocado oil, black pepper, salt, and paprika.
- Remove almonds from oven if you haven’t already and move to a plate to cool.
- Transfer carrots to oven and set time for 10 minutes.
- While carrots are roasting, make yogurt sauce.
- In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, grated or pressed garlic clove, salt, lemon juice, maple syrup and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt / lemon if desired.
- Remove carrots from oven, toss, and test for doneness. Unless they’re very skinny you’ll most likely have to return them to the oven for another 5-8 minutes depending on size. You want them to be quite soft, and starting to brown.
- While carrots finish roasting, chop almonds and cilantro.
- Spread some of the cilantro yogurt on the bottom of serving tray, top with black pepper roasted carrots and garnish with chopped almonds, torn cilantro and some flaky sea salt.
- If you want to make a meal out of this dish, fry an egg and top your serving with the fried egg! (Trust me, it’s delicious!)
Notes
For a dairy free option try making this Easy Garlic Dill Cashew Sauce and replace the dill with cilantro instead of the cilantro yogurt sauce!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25
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