Thyme Roasted Carrots Recipe

[highlight]These flavorful Thyme Roasted Carrots make a great side dish to any holiday meal. [/highlight]

If you don’t count appetizers or dessert, side dishes are the main attraction for me at any holiday meal. I find turkey and ham enjoyable, but I leave lots of room on my plate for the side dishes.

I’m not gonna lie, carbohydrates are usually my side of choice at holidays. Hot rolls with butter, flavorful stuffing, and german spaetzle all find their way onto my plate at Thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce usually adds a bit of color, but other than that, my plate ends up being mostly beige.

This year, I did some leg-work  and experimented with some colorful vegetable side dish options to create a more well balanced holiday meal. These Thyme Roasted Carrots came out the front runner of all the veggie dishes I tried. I usually don’t like carrots once they are cooked. Raw carrots with hummus are one of my go-to snacks. However, once I cook them, I usually can’t stand their soggy little flavor.

That’s the beauty of these Thyme Roasted Carrots. They are tossed in a blend of olive oil, fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper before being roasted in the oven. However, I roast them until they are just soft enough to chew but still have a little crunch factor. The fresh herbs add a great, rich flavor to the carrots. It’ the perfect side dish.

I used petite rainbow colored carrots, so the color variety is fantastic. Beige colored holiday plate be gone! The recipe is naturally gluten free and contains no added sugar, so folks of all dietary limitations can enjoy.

What are your go-to side dishes for Thanksgiving?